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JASMIN 


BARBER,  POET,  PHILANTHROPIST 


BY 


SAMUEL   SMILES,  LL.D. 

AUTHOR  OF  "character"  "  SELF-HELP  "  "  THRIFT  "  ETC. 


"  II  rasait  Men,  il  chantait  miettx.  . . .  St  la  France  poss^dait 
dix  poetes  comrne  Jasviin,  dix  poet/m  de  cette  influence,  elle 
n'aurait  pas  d  craindre  de  reoofuffojw. "—Sainte-Bkuvb 


NEW   YORK 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  FRANKLIN  SQUARE 

1892 


Copyright,  1891,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 


All 'TighU  yscTTcd:' 


PREFACE, 


My  attention  was  first  called  to  the  works  of 
the  poet  Jasmin  by  the  eulogistic  articles  which 
appeared  in  the  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes^  by  De 
Mazade,  ISTodier,  Yillemain,  and  other  well-known 
reviewers. 

I  afterwards  read  the  articles  by  Sainte-Beuve, 
perhaps  the  finest  critic  of  French  literature,  on 
the  life  and  history  of  Jasmin,  in  his  Portr^aits 
Contemjporains  as  well  as  his  admirable  article 
on  the  same  subject  in  the  Causer ies  du  Lundi, 

While  Jasmin  was  still  alive,  a  translation  was 
published  by  the  American  poet  Longfellow  of 
*'The  Blind  Girl  of  Castel-CuiUe,"  perhaps  the 
best  of  Jasmin's  poems.  In  his  note  to  the  trans- 
lation, Longfellow  said  that  "  Jasmin,  the  author 
of  this  beautiful  poem,  is  to  the  South  of  France 
what  Burns  is  to  the  South  of  Scotland,  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  heart  of  the  people ;  one  of  those 
happy  bards  who  are  born  with  their  mouths 
full  of  birds  {la  houco  ])leno  d'^aouveloics).  lie  has 
written  his  own  biography  in  a  poetic  form,  and 
the  simple  narrative  of  his  poverty,  his  struggles, 


M4:i95G 


iv  Jasmin. 

and  his  triumphs  is  very  touching.  He  still  lives 
at  Agen,  on  the  Garonne ;  and  long  may  he  live 
there  to  delight  his  native  land  with  native 
songs." 

I  had  some  difficulty  in  obtaining  Jasmin's 
poems,  but  at  length  I  received  them  from  his 
native  town  of  Agen.  They  consisted  of  four 
volumes  octavo,  though  they  were  still  incom- 
plete. But  a  new  edition  has  since  been  pub- 
lished, in  1889,  which  was  heralded  by  an  inter- 
esting article  in  the  Paris  Figaro. 

While  at  Eoyat,  in  1888,  I  went  across  the 
country  to  Agen,  the  town  in  which  Jasmin  was 
born,  lived,  and  died.  I  saw  the  little  room  in 
which  he  was  born,  the  banks  of  the  Garonne 
which  sounded  so  sweetly  in  his  ears,  the  heights 
of  the  Ermitage  where  he  played  when  a  boy, 
the  Petite  Seminaire  in  which  he  was  partly 
educated,  the  coiffeur's  shop  in  which  he  carried 
on  his  business  as  a  barber  and  hair-dresser,  and 
finally  his  tomb  in  the  cemetery  where  he  was 
buried  with  all  the  honors  that  his  towns-fellows 
could  bestow  upon  him. 

From  Agen  I  went  south  to  Toulouse,  where  I 
saw  the  large  room  in  the  Museum  in  which 
Jasmin  first  recited  his  poem  of  "  Franconnette ;" 
and  the  hall  in  the  Capitol,  where  the  poet  was 
hailed  as  The  Troubadour,  and  enrolled  member 
of  the  Academy  of  Jeux  Floreaux — perhaps  the 
crowning  event  of  his  life. 

In  the  Appendix  to  this  memoir  I  have  en- 
deavored to  give  translations  from  some  of  Jas- 


Preface.  v 

rain's  poems.  Longfellow's  translation  of  ^'  The 
Blind  Girl  of  Castel-Cuille  "  has  not  been  given,  as 
it  has  already  been  published  in  his  poems,  which 
are  in  nearly  every  library.  In  those  which  have 
been  given,  I  have  in  certain  cases  taken  advan- 
tage of  the  translations  by  Miss  Costello,  Miss 
Preston  (of  Boston,  U.S.),  and  the  Eeverend  Mr. 
Craig,  D.D.,  for  some  time  Kector  of  Kinsale, 
Ireland. 

It  is,  however,  very  difficult  to  translate  French 
poetry  into  English.  The  languages,  especiall}'' 
the  Gascon,  are  very  unlike  French  as  well  as 
English.  Hence  Yillemain  remarks  that  "every 
translation  must  virtually  be  a  new  creation." 
But,  such  as  they  are,  I  have  endeavored  to 
translate  the  poems  as  literally  as  possible.  Jas- 
min's poetry  is  rather  wordy,  and  requires  con- 
densation, though  it  is  admirably  suited  for  reci- 
tation. When  other  persons  recited  his  poems 
they  were  not  successful;  but  when  Jasmin  re- 
cited, or  rather  acted  them,  they  were  always 
received  with  enthusiasm. 

There  was  a  special  feature  in  Jasmin's  life 
which  was  altogether  unique.  This  was  the  part 
which  he  played  in  the  South  of  France  as  a 
philanthropist.  Where  famine  or  hunger  made 
its  appearance  among  the  poor  people — where  a 
creche,  or  orphange,  or  school,  or  even  a  church, 
had  to  bo  helped  and  supported  —  Jasmin  was 
usually  called  upon  to  assist  with  his  recitations. 
He  travelled  thousands  of  miles  for  such  pur- 
poses, during  which  he  collected  about  half  a 


vi  Jasmin. 

million  of  francs,  and  gave  the  whole  of  this 
hard-earned  money  over  to  the  public  charities, 
reserving  nothing  for  himself  except  the  grati- 
tude of  the  poor  and  needy.  And  after  his  long 
journeyings  were  over,  he  quietly  returned  to 
pursue  his  humble  occupation  at  Agen.  Perhaps 
there  is  nothing  like  this  in  the  history  of  poetry 
or  literature.  For  this  reason,  the  character  of 
the  man  as  a  philanthropist  is  even  more  to  be 
esteemed  than  his  character  as  a  poet  and  a  song- 
writer. 

The  author  requests  the  indulgence  of  the  reader 
with  respect  to  the  translations  of  certain  poems 
given  in  the  Appendix.  The  memoir  of  Jasmin 
must  speak  for  itself. 

London,  November^  1891. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

AGEN. — jasmin's   BOYHOOD. 

Description  of  Agen — Statue  of  Jasmin — His  "  Souvenirs  " — Birth 
of  Jasmin — Poverty  of  the  Family — Grandfather  Boe — The 
Charivari — Jasmin's  Father  and  Mother — His  Playfellows — 
Playing  at  Soldiers — Agen  Fairs — The  Vintage — The  Spinning 
Women — School  detested — Old  Boe  carried  to  the  Hospital — 
Death  of  Boo Pages  1-11 

CHAPTER  II. 

JASMIN  AT   SCHOOL. 

Sister  Boo  —  Jasmin  enters  the  Seminary  —  His  Progress  —  His 
Naughty  Trick — Tumbles  from  a  Ladder — His  Punishment 
— Imprisoned — The  Preserves — Expelled  from  the  Seminary 
— His  Mother  sells  her  Wedding-ring  for  Bread — The  Abbo 
Miraben — Jasmin  a  Helpful  Boy 12-18 

CHAPTER  III. 

BARBER   AND   HAIR-DRESSER. 

Jasmin  Apprenticed — Reading  in  his  Garret — His  First  Books — 
Florian's  Romances — Begins  to  Rhyme — The  Poetic  Nature — 
Barbers  and  Poetry — Importance  of  the  Barber — Jasmin's 
first  Theatrical  Entertainment — Under  the  Tiles — Talent  for 
Recitation — Jasmin  begins  Business 19-26 

CHAPTER  IV. 

JASMIN   AND   MARIETTE. 

Falls  in  Love — Marries  Mariette  Barrtre — Jasmin's  Marriage  Cos- 
tume—  Prosperity  in  Business — The  Curl-Papn's  —  Christ- 


viii  Contents. 

ened  "  Apollo  " — Mariette  dislikes  Rhyming— Visit  of  Charles 
Nodier — The  Pair  Reconciled — Mariette  Encourages  her  Hus- 
band—  Jasmin  at  Home  —  The  "rivulet  of  silver"  —  Jas- 
min Buys  his  House  on  the  Gravier  —  Becomes  Collector  of 
Taxes  Pages  27-35 


CHAPTER  V. 

JASMIN    AND   GASCON. 

Jasmin's  first  Efforts  at  Yerse-making — The  People  Conservative 
of  old  Dialects — Jasmin's  Study  of  Gascon — Langue  d'Oc  and 
Langue  d'Oil — Antiquity  of  Languages  in  Western  Europe — 
The  Franks — Language  of  Modern  France — The  Gauls — The 
"Franciman" — Language  of  the  Troubadours — Gascon  and 
Proven9al — Jasmin  begins  to  Write  in  Gascon — Uneducated 
Poets — Jasmin's  "  Me  cal  Mouri " — Miss  Costello's  Translation 
— The  "  Charivari "  —  Jasmin  publishes  First  Volume  of  The 
Curl-Papei's  {Papillotos) 36-50 


CHAPTER  VL 

BERANGKR. — "  MES  SOUVENIRS." — PAUL  DE  MUSSET. 

The  "Third  of  May"  —  Statue  of  Henry  IV. —  Nerac — Jasmin's 
Ode  in  Gascon  approved — A  Corporal  in  the  National  Guard — 
Letter  to  Beranger — His  Reply — "  Mes  Souvenirs  " — Recollec- 
tions of  his  Past  Life — Nodier's  Eulog\- — Lines  on  the  Ban- 
ished Poles — Sainte-Beuve  on  Jasmin's  Poems — Second  Vol- 
ume of  the  Papillotos  published  —  Interview  with  Paul  de 
Musset 51-66 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

"the  blind  girl  of  castel-cuille." 

A  Poetical  Legend — Translated  into  English  by  Lady  Georgiana 
Fullerton  and  Longfellow — Description  of  Castel-Cuill(^ — The 
Story  of  Marguerite — The  Bridal  Procession  to  Saint-Amans — 
Presence  of  Marguerite — Her  Death — The  Poem  first  recited 
at  Bordeaux — Enthusiasm  excited — Popularity  of  the  Author 
— Fetes  and  Banquets — Declines  to  visit  Paris — Picture  of 
Mariette — A  Wise  and  Sensible  Wife — Private  Recitation  of  his 
Poems — A  Happy  Pair — Eloquence  of  Jasmin 67-80 


Contents,  ix 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

JASMIN    AS  J'lIILANTHROPIST. 

Charity  a  Universal  Duty — Want  of  Poor-law  in  France — Appeals 
for  Help  in  Times  of  Distress — Jasmin's  Recitations  entirely 
Gratuitous — Famine  in  the  Lot-ct-Garonnc — Composition  of 
the  Poem  "  Charity  " — Respect  for  tlic  Law — Collection  at 
Tonneins — Jasmin  assailed  by  Deputations — His  Reception  in 
the  Neighboring  Towns — Appearance  at  Bcrgerac — At  Gon- 
taud — At  Damazan — His  Noble  Missions Pages  81-89 

CHAPTER  IX. 

jasmin's  "  FRANCONNETTE." 

Composition  of  the  Poem — Expostulations  of  M.  Dumon — Jasmin's 
Defence  of  the  Gascon  Dialect — Jasmin  and  Dante — "Fran- 
connettc  "  dedicated  to  Toulouse  —  Outline  of  the  Story  — 
Marshal  Montluc — Huguenots — Castle  of  Estellac — Marcel  and 
Pascal — The  Buscou — "  The  Siren  with  a  Heart  of  Ice" — The 
Sorcerer — Franconnette  accursed — Festival  on  Easter  Morning 
— The  Crown -piece — Storra  at  Notre  Dame — The  Villagers 
determine  to  burn  Franconnette — Her  Deliverance  and  Mar- 
riage   90-108 

CHAPTER  X. 

JASMIN    AT    TOULOUSE. 

"  Franconnette  "  Recited  first  at  Toulouse — Received  with  Acclama- 
tion— Academy  of  Jcnx  Floreaux — Jasmin's  Eloquent  Decla- 
mation— The  Fetes — Publication  of  "  Franconnette  " — Sainte- 
Bcuve's  Criticism — M.  de  Lavergne — Charles  Nodier — Testi- 
monial to  Jasmin — Mademoiselle  Gaze — Death  of  Jasmin's 
Mother — Jasmin's  Acknowledgment — Readings  in  the  Cause 
of  Charity — Increasing  Reputation 109-1 16 

CHAPTER  XI. 

jasmin's  visit  to  pauis. 

Visits  Paris  with  his  Son — Wonders  of  Paris — Country  Cousins — 
Letters  to  Agen — Visit  to  Sainto-Beuve — Charles  Nodier,  Jules 
Janin — Landlord  of  Jasmin's  Hotel — Recitation  before  Angus- 
tin  Thierry  and  Members  of  the  Academy — Career  of  the  His- 
torian— His  Blindness — His  Farewell  to  Literature..   117-12? 


X  Contents. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

jasmin's   recitations    in   PARIS. 

Assembly  at  Augustin  Thierry's — The  "  Blind  Girl  "  Recited— The 
Girl's  Blindness — Interruption  of  Thierry — Ampere's  Obser- 
vation— Jasmin's  Love  of  Applause — Interesting  Conversation 
— Fetes  at  Paris — Visit  to  Louis  Philippe  and  the  Duchess  of 
Orleans — -Recitals  before  the  Royal  Family — Souvenirs  of  the 
Visit — Banquet  of  Barbers  and  Hair  -  dressers — M.  Chateau- 
briand— Return  to  Agen Pages  124-130 

CHAPTER   XIIL 

JASMIN   AND  HIS  ENGLISH  CRITICS. 

Translation  of  his  Poems — The  Aihenceiun — Miss  Costello's  Visit 
to  Jasmin — Her  Description  of  the  Poet — His  Recitations — 
Her  renewed  Visit — A  Pension  from  the  King  —  Proposed 
Journey  to  England — The  Westminster  Beview  —  Angus  B. 
Reach's  Interview  with  Jasmin — His  Description  of  the  Poet 
— His  Charitable  Collection  for  the  Poor — Was  he  Quixotic? 
— His  Vivid  Conversation — His  Array  of  Gifts — The  Dialect 
in  which  he  Composes 131-148 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

jasmin's    TOURS    OF   PHILANTROPY. 

Appeals  from  the  Poor  and  Distressed — His  Journeys  to  Remote 
Places — Carcassonne — The  Orphan  Institution  of  Bordeaux — 
"  The  Shepherd  and  the  Gascon  Poet  "—The  Orphans'  Grati- 
tude— Helps  to  Found  an  xVgricultural  Colony — Jasmin's  Letter 
— His  Numerous  Engagements — Society  of  Arts  and  Litera- 
ture— His  Strength  of  Constitution — At  Marseilles — At  Audi 
— Refusal  to  Shave  a  Millionaire  —  Mademoiselle  Rouldes  — 
Jasmin's  Cheerful  Help — Their  Tour  in  the  South  of  France 
— At  Marseilles  again — Gratitude  of  Mademoiselle  Roaldes — 
Reboul  at  Nimes — Dumas  and  Chateaubriand — Letters  from 
Madame  Lafarge 149-162 

CHAPTER   XV. 

jasmin's   vineyard. — "MARTHA    THE    INNOCENT." 

Agen  —  Jasmin  buys  a  little  Vineyard,  his  "Papiilote" — "Ma 
Bigno  "  dedicated  to  Madame  Veill — Description  of  the  Vine- 


Contents.  xi 

yard  — The  Happiness  it  Confers— M.  Rodi6re,  Toulouse  — 
Jasmin's  Slowness  in  Composition — A  Golden  Medal  struck 
in  his  Honor — A  Pension  Awarded  Him — Made  Chevalier  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor — Serenades  in  the  Gravier — Honor  from  Pope 
Pius  IX. — "  Martha  the  Innocent " — Description  of  the  Narra- 
tive— Jasmin  and  Martha — Another  Visit  to  Toulouse— The 
Banquet— Dax,  Gers,  Condon — Challenge  of  Peyrottes — Jas- 
min's Reply — His  further  Poems — "  La  Semaine  d'un  Fils  "  de- 
scribed— Dedicated  to  Lamartinc — His  Reply.   Pages  163-17Y 


CHAPTER  XVL 

THE   PRIEST   WITHOUT   A   CHURCH. 

Ruin  of  the  Church  at  Vergt— Description  of  Vergt — Jasmin  Ap- 
pealed to  for  Help — The  Abbe  and  Poet — Meeting  at  Pcri- 
gueux  —  Fetes  and  Banquets  —  Montignac,  Sarlat,  Nontron, 
Bergerac — Consecration  of  the  Church — Cardinal  Gousset — 
Jasmin's  Poem — "A  Priest  without  a  Church"  —  Assailed 
by  Deputations  —  Saint  Vincent  de  Paul— A  Priest  and  his 
Parishioners  —  The  Church  of  Vergt  again  —  Another  Tour 
for  Offerings  —  Cr6che  at  Bordeaux  —  Revolution  of  1848 — 
Abbo  and  Poet  recommence  their  Journeys  —  Jasmin  invit- 
ed to  become  a  Deputy — Declines,  and  pursues  his  Career  of 
Charitv 178-189 


CHAPTER  XVIL 

CHURCH   OF  VERGT. — THE   ACADEMY. — EMPEROR   AND  EMPRESS. 

Renewed  Journeys  for  Church  of  Vergt — Arcachon  —  Biarritz — 
A  Troupe  of  Poor  Comedians  Helped — Towns  in  the  South — 
Jasmin'.s  Bell  -  tower  erected  —  The  French  Academy  —  M. 
Villcmain  to  Jasmin — M.  de  Montyon's  Prize — M.  Ancelo  to 
Jasmin — Visits  Paris  again  —  Monsigneur  Sibour — Banquet 
by  Les  Deux  Mondes  Reviewers — Marquise  de  Barth61emy  de- 
scribed in  Chambers'  Journal — Description  of  Jasmin  and  the 
Entertainment — Jasmin  and  the  French  Academy — Visit  to 
Louis  Napoleon — Intercedes  for  return  of  M.  Baze — AgainVisits 
Paris — Louis  Napoleon,  Emperor,  and  Empress  Eugenie — The 
Interview — M.  Baze  Restored  to  his  Family  at  Agen  —  The 
Church  of  Vergt  Finished,  with  Jasmin  Bells 190-204 


xii  Contents. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

JASMIN    ENROLLED    MAITRE-ES-JEUX. — CROWNED    BY   AGEN. 

Jasmin  invited  to  Toulouse  —  Enrolled  as  Maitre-es-jeux  —  The 
Ceremony  in  the  Selles  des  Illustres — Jasmin's  acknowledg- 
ment— The  Crowd  in  the  Place  de  Capitol — Agen  Awards  him 
a  Crown  of  Gold  —  Society  of  Saint  Vincent  de  Paul  —  The 
Committee  —  Construction  of  the  Crown — The  Public  Meet- 
ing— Address  of  M.  Noubel,  Deputy — Jasmin's  Poem,  "  Tiie 
Crown  of  My  Birthplace  " Pages  205-211 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

LAST   POEMS. — LAST  MISSIONS    OF    CHARITY. 

His  "  New  Recollections  " — Journey  to  Albi  and  Castera — Bordeaux 
— Montignac,  Saint  Macaire — Saint  Andre,  Monsegur — Recita- 
tion at  Arcachon  —  Societies  of  Mutual  Help  — Imitation  of 
Christy  Testimony  from  Bishop  of  Saint-Flour — Jasmin's  Self- 
denial — Collects  about  a  Million  and  a  half  of  Francs  for  the 
Poor — Expenses  of  his  Journey  of  Fifty  Days — His  Faithful 
Record — Jasmin  at  Rodez — Aurillac — Toulouse — His  last  Re- 
cital at  Villeneuve-sur-Lot 212-220 

CHAPTER   XX. 

DEATH   OF    jasmin:     HIS    CHARACTER. 

Jasmin's  Illness  from  Overwork  and  Fatigue — Last  Poem  to  Renan 
— Receives  the  Last  Sacrament — Takes  Leave  of  his  Wife — 
His  Death,  at  Sixty-five — His  Public  Funeral — The  Ceremony 
— Eulogiums — M.  Noubel,  Deputy  ;  Capot  and  Magen— Inau- 
guration of  Bronze  Statue — Character  of  Jasmin — His  Love 
of  Truth — His  Fellow-feeling  for  the  Poor — His  Pride  in  Agen 
— His  Lovalty  and  Patience — Charity  his  Heroic  Programme 
—His  long  Apostolate 221-233 


APPENDIX. 

Jasmin's  Defence  of  the  Gascon  Dialect 23Y-242 

The  Mason's  Son 242-248 

The  Poor  Man's  Doctor 248-252 

My  Vineyard 252-256 

Franconnette 256-293 


JASMIN. 


CHAPTER  I. 
AGEN. -JASMIN'S  BOYHOOD. 

Agen  is  an  important  town  in  the  South  of  France, 
situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Garonne,  about  eighty 
miles  above  Bordeaux.  The  country  to  the  south  of 
Agen  contains  some  of  the  most  fertile  Umd  in  France. 
The  wide  valley  is  covered  with  vineyards,  orchards,  fruit 
gardens,  and  cornfields. 

The  best  panoramic  view  of  Agen  and  the  surround- 
ing country  is  to  be  seen  from  the  rocky  heights  on  the 
northern  side  of  the  town.  A  holy  hermit  had  once  oc- 
cupied a  cell  on  the  ascending  cliffs,  and  near  it  the 
Convent  of  the  Hermitage  has  since  been  erected.  Far 
underneath  are  seen  the  red-roofed  houses  of  the  town, 
and  beyond  them  the  green  promenade  of  the  Gravier. 

From  the  summit  of  the  cliffs  the  view  extends  to 
a  great  distance  along  the  wide  valley  of  the  Garonne, 
covered  with  woods,  vineyards,  and  greenery.  The  spires 
of  village  churches  peep  up  here  and  there  among  the 
trees,  and  in  the  far  distance,  on  a  clear  day,  are  seen 
the  snow-capped  peaks  of  the  Pyrenees. 

Three  bridges  connect  Agen  with  the  country  to  the 
west  of  the  Garonne — the  bridge  for  ordinary  traffic,  a 
1 


2  Jasmin. 

light  and  elegant  suspension -bridge,  and  a  bridge  of 
twenty-three  arches  which  carries  the  lateral  canal  to  the 
other  side  of  the  river. 

The  town  of  Agen  itself  is  not  particularly  attractive. 
The  old  streets,  narrow  and  tortuous,  are  paved  with 
pointed  stones ;  but  a  fine  broad  street — the  Kue  de  la 
Republique — has  recently  been  erected  through  the  heart 
of  th(>(>l(i  iqwn,  which  greatly  adds  to  the  attractions  of 
the  place.  -  At  one  end  of  this  street  an  ideal  statue  of 
the  llepublic  has  been  erected,  and  at  the  other  end  a 
life-like  bronze  statue  of  the  famous  poet  Jasmin. 

This  statue  to  Jasmin  is  the  only  one  in  the  town 
erected  to  an  individual.  Yet  many  distinguished  per- 
sons have  belonged  to  Agen  and  the  neighborhood  who 
have  not  been  commemorated  in  any  form.  Among 
these  were  Bernard  Palissy,  the  famous  potter;*  Joseph 
J.  Scaliger,  the  great  scholar  and  philologist;  and  three 
distinguished  naturalists — Boudon  de  Saint-Aman,  Bory 
de  Saint-Vincent,  and  the  Count  de  Lacepede. 

The  bronze  statue  of  Jasmin  stands  in  one  of  the  finest 
sites  in  Agen,  at  one  end  of  the  Rue  de  la  Republique, 
and  nearly  opposite  the  little  shop  in  which  he  carried  on 
his  humble  trade  of  a  barber  and  hair-dresser.  It  repre- 
sents the  poet  standing,  with  his  right  arm  and  hand  ex- 
tended, as  if  in  the  act  of  recitation. 


*  It  is  stated  in  the  Bihliographie  Generale  de  VAgenais  that 
Palissy  was  born  in  the  district  of  Agen,  perhaps  at  La  Chapelle- 
Biron,  and  that,  being  a  Huguenot,  he  was  imprisoned  in  the  Bas- 
tille at  Paris,  and  died  there  in  1590,  shortly  after  the  massacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew.  But  Palissy  seems  to  have  been  born  in  an- 
other town,  not  far  from  La  Chapelle-Biron.  The  Times  of  July  V, 
1891,  contains  the  following  paragraph:  "A  statue  of  Bernard 
Palissy  was  unveiled  yesterday  at  Villeneuve-sur-Lot,  his  native 
town,  by  M.  Bourgeois,  Minister  of  Education." 


Jasmin's  Boyhood.  3 

How  the  fame  of  Jasmin  came  to  be  commemorated 
by  a  statue  erected  in  his  native  town  by  public  sub- 
scription will  be  found  related  in  the  following  pages. 
He  has  told  the  story  of  his  early  life  in  a  bright,  nat- 
ural, and  touching  style,  in  one  of  his  best  poems,  enti- 
tled "My  Recollections"  {Mes  Souvenirs),  written  in  Gas- 
con, where  he  revealed  his  own  character  with  perfect 
frankness,  and  at  the  same  time  with  exquisite  sensibility. 

Several  of  Jasmin's  works  have  been  translated  into 
English,  especially  his  "  Blind  Girl  of  Castel-Cuille,"  by 
Longfellow  and  Lady  Georgina  Fullerton.  The  elegant 
translation  by  Longfellow  is  so  well  known  that  it  is  un- 
necessary to  repeat  it  in  the  appendix  to  this  volume; 
but  a  few  other  translations  of  Jasmin's  works  have  been 
given  to  enable  the  reader  to  form  some  idea  of  his  po- 
etical powers. 

Although  Jasmin's  recitations  of  his  poems  were  inva- 
riably received  with  enthusiastic  applause  by  his  quick- 
spirited  audiences  in  the  South  of  France,  the  story  of  his 
life  will  perhaps  be  found  more  attractive  to  English  read- 
ers than  any  rendering  of  his  poems,  however  accurate, 
into  a  language  different  from  his  own.  For  poetry, 
more  than  all  forms  of  literature,  loses  most  by  transla- 
tion, especially  from  Gascon  into  English.  Villemain, 
one  of  the  best  of  critics,  says :  "  Toute  traduction  en 
vers  est  une  autre  creation  que  I'original." 

We  proceed  to  give  an  account,  mostly  from  his  own 
"Souvenirs,"  of  the  early  life  and  boyhood  of  Jasmin. 
The  eighteenth  century,  old,  decrepit,  and  cruel,  was  about 
to  come  to  an  end,  when,  in  the  corner  of  a  little  room 
haunted  by  rats,  a  child,  the  subject  of  this  story,  was 
born.  It  was  on  the  morning  of  Shrove  Tuesday,  March 
6,  1V98 — just  as  the  day  had  flung  aside  its  black  night- 
cap, and  the  morning  sun  was  about  to  shed  its  rays 


4  Jasmin. 

upon  the  earth — that  this  son  of  a  crippled  mother  and 
a  hump-backed  tailor  first  saw  the  light.  The  child  was 
born  in  a  house  situated  in  one  of  the  old  streets  of  Agen 
— 15  Eue  Fon-de-Rache — not  far  from  the  shop  on  the 
Gravier  where  Jasmin  afterwards  carried  on  the  trade  of 
a  barber  and  hair-dresser. 

"When  a  prince  is  born,"  said  Jasmin  in  his  "Souve- 
nirs," "  his  entrance  into  the  world  is  saluted  with  rounds 
of  cannon;  but  when  I,  the  son  of  a  poor  tailor,  made  my 
appearance,  I  was  not  saluted  even  with  a  pop-gun."  Yet 
Jasmin  was  afterwards  to  become  a  king  of  hearts!  A 
charivari  was,  however,  going  on  in  front  of  a  neighbor's 
door,  as  a  nuptial  serenade  on  the  occasion  of  some  un- 
suitable marriage,  and  the  clamor  of  horns  and  kettles, 
marrow-bones  and  cleavers,  saluted  the  mother's  ears^  ac- 
companied by  thirty  burlesque  verses,  the  composition  of 
the  father  of  the  child  who  had  just  been  born. 

Jacques  Jasmin  was  only  one  child  among  many.  Their 
parents  had  considerable  difficulty  in  providing  for  the 
wants  of  the  family,  in  food  as  well  as  clothing.  Besides 
the  father's  small  earnings  as  a  tailor  of  the  lowest  stand- 
ing, the  mother  occasionally  earned  a  little  money  as  a 
laundress.  A  grandfather,  Boe,  formed  one  of  the  fam- 
ily group.  He  had  been  a  soldier,  but  was  now  too  old 
to  serve  in  the  ranks,  though  France  was  waging  war  in 
Italy  and  Austria  under  its*  new  emperor.  Bo6,  however, 
helped  to  earn  the  family  living  by  begging  with  his  wal- 
let from  door  to  door. 

Jasmin  describes  the  dwelling  in  which  this  poor  fam- 
ily lived.  It  was  miserably  furnished.  The  winds  blew 
in  at  every  corner.  Three  ragged  beds ;  a  cupboard,  con- 
taining a  few  bits  of  broken  plates ;  a  stone  bottle ;  two 
jugs  of  cracked  earthen-ware ;  a  wooden  cup  broken  at 
the  edges ;  a  rusty  candlestick,  used  when  candles  were 


Jasmines  Boyhood.  6 

available;  a  small  half -black  looking-glass  without  a 
frame,  held  against  the  wall  by  three  little  nails;  four 
broken  chairs;  a  closet  without  a  key;  old  Boe's  sus- 
pended wallet;  a  tailor's  board,  with  clippings  of  stuff 
and  patched-up  garments — such  were  the  contents  of  the 
household,  consisting  in  all  of  nine  persons. 

It  is  well  that  poor  children  know  comparatively  little 
of  their  miserable  bringings-up.  They  have  no  opportu- 
nity of  contrasting  their  life  and  belongings  with  those 
of  other  children  more  richly  nurtured.  The  infant  Jas- 
min slept  no  less  soundly  in  his  little  cot  stuffed  with 
larks'  feathers  than  if  he  had  been  laid  on  a  bed  of  down. 
Then  he  was  nourished  by  his  mother's  milk,' and  he  grew, 
though  somewhat  lean  and  angular,  as  fast  as  any  king's 
son.  He  began  to  toddle  about,  and  made  acquaintances 
with  the  neighbors'  children. 

After  a  few  years  had  passed.  Jasmin,  being  a  spirited 
fellow,  was  allowed  to  accompany  his  father  at  night  m 
the  concerts  of  rough  music.  lie  placed  a  long  paper 
cap  on  his  head,  like  a  French  clown,  and  with  a  horn  in 
his  hand  he  made  as  much  noise,  and  played  as  many  an- 
tics, as  any  fool  in  the  crowd.  Though  the  tailor  could 
not  read,  he  usually  composed  the  verses  for  the  chari- 
vari ;  and  the  doggerel  of  the  father,  mysteriously  fructi- 
fied, afterwards  became  the  seed  of  poetry  in  the  son. 

The  performance  of  the  charivari  was  common  at  that 
time  in  the  South  of  France.  When  an  old  man  proposed 
to  marry  a  maiden  less  than  lialf  his  age,  or  when  an  el- 
derly widow  proposed  to  marry  a  young  man,  or  when 
anything  of  a  heterogeneous  kind  occurred  in  any  pro- 
posed union,  a  terrible  row  began.  The  populace  assem- 
bled in  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  the  banns  had 
been  first  proclaimed,  and  saluted  the  happy  pair  in  their 
respective  houses  with  a  charivari.     Bells,  horns,  pokers 


6  Jas7nin. 

and  tongs,  marrow-bones  and  cleavers,  or  anything  that 
would  make  a  noise,  was  brought  into  requisition,  and 
the  noise  thus  made,  accompanied  with  howling  recita- 
tions of  the  charivari,  made  the  night  positively  hid- 
eous. 

The  riot  went  on  for  several  evenings ;  and  when  the 
wedding-day  arrived  the  charivarists,  with  the  same  noise 
and  violence,  entered  the  church  with  the  marriage  guests; 
and  at  night  they  besieged  the  house  of  the  happy  pair, 
throwing  into  their  windows  stones,  brick-bats,  and  every 
kind  of  missile.     Such  was  the  honeymoon  ! 

This  barbarous  custom  has  now  fallen  entirely  into 
disuse.  If  attempted  to  be  renewed  it  is  summarily  put 
down  by  the  police,  though  it  still  exists  among  the 
Basques  as  a  toberac.  It  may  also  be  mentioned  that  a 
similar  practice  once  prevailed  in  Devonshire — described 
by  the  Rev.  S.  Baring-Gould  in  his  "Red  Spider."  It 
was  there  known  as  the  hare  hunt,  or  skimmity-riding. 

The  tailor's  charivaris  brought  him  in  no  money. 
They  did  not  increase  his  business ;  in  fact,  they  made 
him  many  enemies.  His  uncouth  rhymes  did  not  in- 
crease his  mending  of  old  clothes.  However  sharp  his 
needle  might  be,  his  children's  teeth  were  still  sharper ; 
and  often  they  had  too  little  to  eat.  The  maintenance 
of  the  family  mainly  depended  on  the  mother  and  the 
wallet  of  grandfather  Boe. 

The  mother,  poor  though  she  was,  had  a  heart  of  gold 
under  her  serge  gown.  She  washed  and  mended  inde- 
fatigably.  When  she  had  finished  her  washing,  the  chil- 
dren, so  soon  as  they  could  walk,  accompanied  her  to 
the  willows  along  the  banks  of  the  Garonne,  where  the 
clothes  were  hung  out  to  dry.  There  they  had  at  least 
the  benefit  of  breathing  fresh  and  pure  air. 

Grandfather  Boe   was  a   venerable    old   fellow.     He 


Jasmin's  Boyhood.  1 

amused  the  children  at  night  with  his  stories  of  military 
life— 

"  Wept  o'er  his  wonuds,  or,  tales  of  sorrow  done, 
Sboulder'd  his  crutch  and  show'd  how  fiekls  were  won." 


During  the  day  he  carried  his  wallet  from  door  to 
door  in  Agen,  or  among  the  farm-houses  in  the  neigh- 
borhood ;  and  when  he  came  home  at  eve  he  emptied  his 
wallet  and  divided  the  spoil  among  the  family.  If  he 
obtained  during  his  day's  journey  some  more  succulent 
morsel  than  another,  he  bestowed  it  upon  his  grandson 
Jacques,  whom  he  loved  most  dearly. 

Like  all  healthy  boys,  young  Jasmin's  chief  delight  was 
in  the  sunshine  and  the  open  air.  Then  he  enjoyed  the 
pleasures  of  fellowship  and  the  happiness  of  living.  Rich 
and  poor,  old  and  young,  share  in  this  glorified  gladness. 
Jasmin  had  as  yet  no  sorrow.  His  companions  were 
poor  boys  like  himself.  They  had  never  known  any 
other  condition. 

Just  as  the  noontide  bells  began  to  ring,  Jasmin  set 
out  with  a  hunch  of  bread  in  his  hand — perhaps  taken 
from  his  grandfather's  wallet — to  enjoy  the  afternoon 
with  his  comrades.  Without  cap  or  shoes  he  sped  away. 
The  sun  was  often  genial,  and  he  never  bethought  him 
of  cold.  On  the  company  went,  some  twenty  or  thirty 
in  number,  to  gather  willow  fagots  by  the  banks  of  the 
Garonne. 

"  Oh,  how  my  soul  leaped  !"  he  exclaimed  in  his  "  Sou- 
venirs," "when  we  all  set  out  together  at  mid-day,  singing 
*Tlie  Lamb  whom  Thou  hast  given  me,' a  well-known 
carol  in  the  South.  The  very  recollection  of  that  pleas- 
ure even  now  enchants  mo.  *  To  the  Island — to  the  Isl- 
and r  shouted  the  boldest,  and  then  we  made  haste  to 


8  Jasmin. 

wade  to  the  Island,  each  to  gather  together  our  little 
bundle  of  fagots." 

The  rest  of  the  vagrants'  time  was  spent  in  play.  They 
ascended  the  cliff  towards  the  grotto  of  Saint  John. 
They  shared  in  many  a  contest.  They  dared  each  other 
to  do  things  —  possible  and  impossible.  There  were 
climbings  of  rocks,  and  daring  leaps,  with  many  perils 
and  escapades,  according  to  the  nature  of  boys  at  play. 
At  length,  after  becoming  tired,  there  was  the  return 
home  an  hour  before  nightfall.  And  then  the  little  fel- 
lows tripped  along;  thirty  fagot  bundles  were  carried  on 
thirty  heads ;  and  the  thirty  sang,  as  on  setting  out,  the 
same  carol,  with  the  same  refrain. 

Jasmin  proceeds,  in  his  "  Souvenirs,"  to  describe,  with 
great  zest  and  a  wonderful  richness  of  local  color,  the  im- 
promptu fetes  in  which  he  bore  a  part :  his  raids  upon 
the  cherry  and  plum  orchards — for  the  neighborhood  of 
Agen  is  rich  in  plum-trees,  and  prunes  are  one  of  the 
principal  articles  of  commerce  in  the  district.  Playing  at 
soldiers  was  one  of  Jasmin's  favorite  amusements,  and 
he  was  usually  elected  captain. 

"I  should  need,"  he  says,  "a  hundred  trumpets  to  cel- 
ebrate all  my  victories."  Then  he  describes  the  dancing 
round  the  bonfires,  and  the  fantastic  ceremonies  connect- 
ed with  the  celebration  of  Saint  John's  Eve. 

Agen  is  celebrated  for  its  fairs.  In  the  month  of 
June  one  of  the  most  important  fairs  in  the  South  of 
France  is  held  on  the  extensive  promenade  in  front  of  the 
Gravier.  There  Jasmin  went  to  pick  up  any  spare  sous 
by  holding  horses  or  cattle,  or  running  errands,  or  per- 
forming any  trifling  commission  for  the  farmers  or  graz- 
iers. When  he  had  filled  to  a  slight  extent  his  little 
purse  he  went  home  at  night  and  emptied  the  whole  con- 
tents into  his  mother's  hand.     His  heart  often  sank  as 


Jasmines  Boyhood.  9 

she  received  his  earnings  with  smiles  and  tears.  "  Poor 
child,"  she  would  say,  "your  help  comes  just  in  time." 
Tims  the  bitter  thought  of  poverty  and  the  evidences  of 
destitution  were  always  near  at  hand. 

In  the  autumn  Jasmin  went  gleaning  in  the  cornfields, 
for  it  was  Iiis  greatest  pleasure  to  bring  home  some  ad- 
ditional help  for  the  family  needs.  In  September  came 
the  vintage — the  gathering  in  and  pressing  of  the  grapes 
previous  to  their  manufacture  into  wine.  The  boy  was 
able  with  his  handy  helpfulness  to  add  a  little  more  mon- 
ey to  the  home  store.  Winter  followed,  and  the  weather 
became  colder.  In  the  dearth  of  firewood  Jasmin  was 
fain  to  preserve  his  bodily  heat,  notwithstanding  his  rag- 
ged clothes,  by  warming  himself  by  the  sun  in  some 
sheltered  nook  so  long  as  the  day  lasted ;  or  he  would 
play  with  his  companions,  being  still  buoyed  up  with  the 
joy  and  vigor  of  youth. 

When  the  stern  winter  set  in,  Jasmin  spent  his  evenings 
in  the  company  of  spinning-women  and  children,  princi- 
pally for  the  sake  of  warmth.  A  score  or  more  of  wom- 
en, with  their  children,  assembled  in  a  large  room,  light- 
ed by  a  single  antique  lamp  suspended  from  the  ceiling. 
The  women  had  distaffs  and  heavy  spindles,  by  means  of 
which  they  spun  a  kind  of  coarse  packthread  which  the 
children  wound  up,  sitting  on  stools  at  their  feet.  All 
the  while  some  old  dame  would  relate  the  old-world  ogre- 
ish  stories  of  Blue  Beard,  the  Sorcerer,  or  the  Loup  Ga- 
rou,  to  fascinate  the  ears  and  trouble  the  dreams  of  the 
young  folks.  It  was  here,  no  doubt,  that  Jasmin  gath- 
ered much  of  the  traditionary  lore  which  he  afterwards 
wove  into  his  poetical  ballads. 

Jasmin  had  his  moments  of  sadness.  He  was  now 
getting  a  big  fellow,  and  his  mother  was  anxious  that  he 
should  receive  some  little  education.  lie  had  not  yet 
1* 


10  Jasmin. 

been  taught  to  read ;  he  had  not  even  learned  his  ABC. 
The  word  school  frightened  him.  He  could  not  bear  to 
be  shut  up  in  a  close  room — he  who  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  enjoy  a  sort  of  vagabond  life  in  the  open  air. 
He  could  not  give  up  his  comrades,  his  playing  at  sol- 
diers, and  his  numerous  escapades. 

The  mother,  during  the  hum  of  her  spinning-wheel, 
often  spoke  in  whispers  to  grandfather  Boe  of  her  de- 
sire to  send  the  boy  to  school.  When  Jasmin  overheard 
their  conversation  he  could  scarcely  conceal  his  tears. 
Old  Boe  determined  to  do  what  he  could.  He  scraped 
too^ether  his  little  savings  and  handed  them  over  to  the 
mother.  But  the  money  could  not  then  be  used  for  ed- 
ucating Jasmin ;  it  was  sorely  needed  for  buying  bread. 
Thus  the  matter  lay  over  for  a  time. 

The  old  man  became  unable  to  go  out  of  doors  to  so- 
licit alms.  Age  and  infirmity  kept  him  in-doors.  He 
began  to  feel  himself  a  burden  on  the  impoverished  fam- 
ily. He  made  up  his  mind  to  rid  them  of  the  encum- 
brance, and  desired  the  parents  to  put  him  into  the  fam- 
ily arm-chair  and  have  him  carried  to  the  hospital.  Jasmin 
has  touchingly  told  the  incident  of  his  removal. 

"  It  happened  on  a  Monday,"  he  says  in  his  "  Souvenirs." 
"  I  was  then  ten  years  old.  I  was  playing  in  the  square 
with  my  companions,  girded  about  with  a  wooden  sword, 
and  I  was  king ;  but  suddenly  a  dreadful  spectacle  dis- 
turbed my  royalty.  I  saw  an  old  man  in  an  arm-chair 
borne  along  by  several  persons.  The  bearers  approached 
still  nearer,  when  I  recognized  my  afflicted  grandfather. 
'  0  God,'  said  I,  '  what  do  I  see  ?  My  old  grandfather 
surrounded  by  ray  family.'  In  my  grief  I  saw  only  him. 
I  ran  up  to  him  in  tears,  threw  myself  on  his  neck  and 
kissed  him. 

^'  In  returning  my  embrace,  he  wept.    'O  grandfather,' 


Jasmin'' s  Boyhood.  11 

said  I,  *  where  are  you  going  ?  Why  do  you  weep  ? 
Why  are  you  leaviiig  our  home  V  '  My  cliild,'  said  the  old 
man,  '  I  am  going  to  Vhdpital*  lohere  all  the  Jasmins 
die.''  He  again  embraced  me,  closed  his  eyes,  and  was 
carried  away.  We  followed  him  for  some  time  under 
the  trees.  I  abandoned  my  play,  and  returned  home  full 
of  sorrow." 

Grandfather  Bo6  did  not  survive  long  in  the  hospital. 
He  was  utterly  worn  out.  After  five  days  the  old  man 
quietly  breathed  his  last.  His  wallet  was  hung  up  on 
its  usual  nail  in  his  former  home,  but  it  was  never  used 
again.  One  of  the  bread-winners  had  departed,  and  the 
family  was  poorer  than  ever. 

"On  that  Monday,"  says  Jasmin,  "I  for  the  first  time 
knew  and  felt  that  we  were  very  poor." 

All  this  is  told  with  marvellous  effect  in  the  first  part 
of  the  "Souvenirs,"  which  ends  with  a  wail  and  a  sob. 


*  Llwpital  means  an  infirmary  or  almshouse  for  old  and  im- 
poverished people. 


12  Jasmin. 


CHAPTER  II. 

JASMIN  AT   SCHOOL. 

One  joyful  day  Jasmin's  mother  came  home  in  an 
ecstasy  of  delight,  and  cried,  "  To  school,  my  child,  to 
school !"  "  To  school  ?"  said  Jasmin,  greatly  amazed. 
"How  is  this?  Have  we  grown  rich?"  "  No,  my  poor 
boy,  but  you  will  get  your  schooling  for  nothing.  Your 
cousin  has  promised  to  educate  you  ;  come,  come,  I  am 
so  happy!"  It  was  Sister  Boe,  the  school -mistress  of 
Agen,  who  had  offered  to  teach  the  boy  gratuitously  the 
elements  of  readinir  and  writinor. 

The  news  of  Jacques'  proposed  scholarship  caused  no 
small  stir  at  home.  The  mother  was  almost  beside  her- 
self with  joy.  The  father,  too,  was  equally  moved,  and 
shed  tears  of  gratitude.  He  believed  that  the  boy  might 
yet  be  able  to  help  him  in  writing  out,  under  his  dicta- 
tion, the  charivari  impromptus  which,  he  supposed,  were 
his  chief  forte.  Indeed,  the  whole  family  regarded  this 
great  stroke  of  luck  for  Jacques  in  the  light  of  a  special 
providence,  and  as  the  beginning  of  a  brilliant  destiny. 
The  mother,  in  order  to  dress  him  properly,  rummaged 
the  house,  and  picked  out  the  least  mended  suit  of 
clothes  in  which  to  array  the  young  scholar.  When 
properly  clothed,  the  boy,  not  without  fear  on  his  own 
part,  was  taken  by  his  mother  to  school. 

Behold  him,  then,  placed  under  the  tuition  of  Sister 
Boe  I     There  were  some  fifty  other  children  at  school, 


Jasmin  at  School.  13 

mumbling  at  the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  and  trying  to 
read  their  first  easy  sentences.  Jasmin  had  a  good  mem- 
ory, and  soon  mastered  the  difficulties  of  the  A  13  0. 
"  'Tvvixt  smiles  and  tears,"  he  says,  "  I  soon  learned  to 
read,  by  the  help  of  the  pious  Sister." 

In  six  months  he  was  able  to  enter  the  Seminary  in  the 
Hue  Montesquieu  as  a  free  schohu*.  lie  now  served  at 
mass.  Having  a  good  ear  for  music,  he  becam<?  a  chor- 
ister, and  sang  the  "Tantum  ergo."  He  was  a  diligent 
boy,  and  so  far  everything  prospered  well  with  him.  He 
even  received  a  prize.  True,  it  was  only  an  old  cassock, 
dry  as  autumn  heather.  But  being  trimmed  up  by  his 
father,  it  served  to  hide  his  ragged  clothes  beneath. 

His  mother  was  very  proud  of  the  cassock.  "  Thank 
God,"  she  said,  "  thou  learnest  well ;  and  this  is  the  reason 
why  each  Tuesday  a  white  loaf  comes  from  the  Semi- 
nary. It  is  always  welcome,  for  the  sake  of  the  hungry 
little  ones."  "Yes,"  he  replied,  "  I  will  try  my  best  to 
be  learned  for  your  sake."  But  Jasmin  did  not  long 
wear  the  cassock.  He  was  shortly  after  turned  out  of 
the  Seminary,  in  consequence  of  a  naughty  trick  which 
he  played  upon  a  girl  of  the  household. 

Jasmin  tells  the  story  of  his  expulsion  with  great  frank- 
ness, though  evidently  ashamed  of  the  transaction.  He 
was  passing  through  the  inner  court  one  day,  during  the 
Shrove  Carnival,  when,  looking  up,  he  caught  sight  of  a 
petticoat.  He  stopped  and  gazed.  A  strange  tremor 
crept  through  his  nerves.  AVhat  evil  spirit  possessed 
him  to  approach  the  owner  of  the  petticoat?  lie  looked 
up  again  and  recognized  the  sweet  and  rosy -cheeked 
Catherine  —  the  house-maid  of  the  Seminary.  She  was 
perched  near  the  top  of  a  slim  ladder  leaning  against  the 
wall,  standing  upright,  and  feeding  the  feathery-footed 
pigeons. 


14  Jasmin. 

A  vision  flashed  through  Jasmin's  mind — "a  life  all 
velvet,"  as  he  expressed  it — and  he  approached  the  lad- 
der. He  climbed  up  a  few  steps,  and  what  did  he  see? 
Two  comely  ankles  and  two  pretty  little  feet.  His  heart 
burned  within  him,  and  he  breathed  a  loud  sigh.  The 
girl  heard  the  sigh,  looked  down,  and  huddled  up  the 
ladder,  crying  piteously.  The  ladder  was  too  slim  to 
bear  two.  It  snapped  and  fell,  and  they  tumbled  down, 
she  above  and  he  below  ! 

The  loud  screams  of  the  girl  brought  all  the  household 
to  the  spot  —  the  canons,  the  little  abbe,  the  cook,  the 
scullion — indeed,  all  the  inmates  of  the  Seminary.  Jasmin 
quaintly  remarks,  ''A  girl  always  likes  to  have  the  sins 
known  that  she  has  caused  others  to  commit."  But  in 
this  case,  according  to  Jasmin's  own  showing,  the  girl 
was  not  to  blame.  The  trick  which  he  played  might  be 
very  innocent,  but  to  the  assembled  household  it  seemed 
very  wicked.  He  must  be  punished !  First  he  had  a 
terrible  wio;o;inoj  from  the  master,  and  next  he  was  sen- 
tenced  to  imprisonment  during  the  rest  of  the  carnival. 

In  default  of  a  dungeon  they  locked  him  in  a  dismal 
little  chamber,  with  some  bread  and  water.  Next  day, 
Shrove  Tuesday,  while  the  carnival  was  afoot.  Jasmin 
felt  very  angry  and  very  hungry.  "  Who  sleeps  cats," 
says  the  proverb.  "  But,"  said  Jasmin,  "  the  proverb 
lies;  I  did  not  sleep,  and  was  consumed  by  hunger." 
Then  he  filled  up  the  measure  of  his  iniquity  by  break- 
ing into  a  cupboard ! 

It  happened  that  the  Convent  preserves  were  kept  in 
the  room  wherein  he  was  confined.  Their  odor  attracted 
him,  and  he  climbed  up,  by  means  of  a  table  and  chair,  to 
the  closet  in  which  they  were  stored.  He  found  a  splen- 
did pot  of  preserves.  He  opened  it ;  and  though  he  had 
no  spoon,  he  used  his  fingers  and  soon  emptied  the  pot. 


Jasmin  at  School.  15 

What  a  delicious  treat  he  enjoyed — enough  to  make  him 
forget  the  pleasures  of  the  carnival. 

Jasmin  was  about  to  replace  thq  empty  pot  wlicn  he 
heard  the  click-clack  of  a  door  behind  him.  lie  looked 
round  and  saw  the  Superior,  who  had  unlocked  the  door 
and  come  to  restore  the  boy  to  liberty.  Oh,  unhappy 
day  !  When  the  abbe  found  the  prisoner  stealing  his 
precious  preserves  he  became  furious.  "  What !  plun- 
dering my  sweetmeats?"  he  cried.  "  Come  down,  sirrah, 
come  down !  no  pardon  for  you  now."  He  pulled  Jas- 
min from  his  chair  and  table,  and  the  empty  jar  fell  bro- 
ken at  his  feet.  "  Get  out,  get  out  of  this  house,  thou 
imp  of  h — ! "  And  taking  Jasmin  by  the  scruff  of  the 
neck  he  thrust  him  violently  out  of  the  door  and  into 
the  street. 

But  worse  was  yet  to  come.  When  the  expelled 
scholar  reached  the  street  his  face  and  mouth  were 
smeared  with  jam.  He  was  like  a  blackamoor.  Some 
urchins  who  encountered  him  on  liis  homeward  route 
surmised  that  liis  disguise  was  intended  as  a  mask  for 
the  carnival.  He  ran,  and  they  pursued  him.  The  mob 
of  boys  increased,  and  he  ran  the  faster.  At  last  he 
reached  liis  father's  door,  and  rushed  in,  half  dead  with 
pain,  hunger,  and  thirst.  The  family  were  all  there — 
father,  mother,  and  children. 

They  were  surprised  and  astonished  at  his  sudden  en- 
trance. After  kissing  them  all  round,  he  proceeded  to 
relate  his  adventures  at  the  Seminary.  He  could  not  tell 
them  all,  but  he  told  enough.  His  narrative  was  re- 
ceived with  dead  silence.  But  he  was  thirsty  and  hun- 
gry. He  saw  a  pot  hanging  over  the  fire,  and  said  he 
would  like  to  allay  his  hunger  by  participating  in  their 
meal  of  kidney-bean  porridge.  But,  alas !  the  whole  of 
it  had  been  consumed.      The  pot  was  empty,  and  yet 


1 6  Jasmin. 

the  children  were  not  satisfied  vvitli  their  dinner.  "  Now 
I  know,"  said  the  mother,  "  why  no  white  bread  lias 
come  from  the  Seminary."  Jasmin  was  now  greatly 
distressed.  "Accursed  sweetmeats,"  he  thought.  "Oh, 
what  a  wretch  I  am  to  have  caused  so  much  misery  and 
distress !" 

The  children  had  eaten  only  a  few  vegetables,  and 
now  there  was  another  mouth  to  fill.  The  fire  had  al- 
most expired  for  want  of  fuel.  The  children  had  no 
bread  that  day,  for  the  Seminary  loaf  had  not  arrived. 
What  were  they  now  to  do  ?  The  mother  suffered  cruel 
tortures  in  not  being  able  to  give  her  children  bread,  es- 
pecially on  the  home-coming  of  her  favorite  scapegrace. 

At  last,  after  glancing  at  her  left  hand,  she  rose  sud- 
denly. She  exclaimed  in  a  cheerful  voice,  "  Wait  pa- 
tiently until  my  return."  She  put  her  Sunday  kerchief 
on  her  head  and  departed.  In  a  short  time  she  returned, 
to  the  delight  of  the  children,  with  a  loaf  of  bread  under 
her  arm.  They  laughed  and  sang,  and  prepared  to  enjoy 
their  feast,  though  it  was  only  of  bread.  The  mother 
apparently  joined  in  their  cheerfulness,  though  a  sad  pain 
gnawed  at  her  heart.  Jasmin  saw  his  mother  hide  her 
hand  ;  but  when  it  was  necessary  for  her  to  cut  the  loaf, 
after  making  the  cross  according  to  custom,  he  saw  that 
the  ring  on  her  left  hand  had  disappeared.  "  Holy  Cross," 
he  thought,  "it  is  true  that  she  has  sold  her  wedding-ring 
to  buy  bread  for  her  children  1" 

This  was  a  sad  beginning  of  life  for  the  poor  boy. 
He  was  now  another  burden  on  the  family.  Old  Boe 
had  gone,  and  could  no  longer  help  him  with  his  savory 
morsels.  He  was  so  oppressed  with  grief  that  he  could 
no  longer  play  w^itli  his  comrades  as  before.  But  Provi- 
dence again  came  to  his  aid.  The  good  Abbe  Miraben 
heard  the  story  of  his  expulsion   from  the  Seminary. 


Jasmin  at  School.  17 

Though  a  boy  may  bo  tricky  he  cannot  be  perfect,  and 
the  priest  had  much  compassion  on  him.  Knowing  Jas- 
min's abilities  and  the  poverty  of  his  parents,  the  abbe 
used  his  influence  to  obtain  an  admission  for  him  to  one 
of  the  town's  schools,  where  he  was  again  enabled  to 
carry  on  his  education. 

The  good  abbe  was  helpful  to  the  boy  in  many  ways. 
One  evening,  when  Jasmin  was  on  his  way  to  the  Au- 
gustins  to  read  and  recite  to  the  Sisters,  he  was  waylaid 
by  a  troop  of  his  old  playfellows.  They  wished  him  to 
accompany  them  to  the  old  rendezvous  in  the  square; 
but  he  refused,  because  he  had  a  previous  engagement. 
The  boys  then  began  to  hustle  him,  and  proceeded  to 
tear  off  his  tattered  clothes.  He  could  only  bend  his 
head  before  his  assailants,  but  never  said  a  word. 

At  length  his  good  friend  Miraben  came  up  and  res- 
cued him.  He  drove  away  the  boys,  and  said  to  Jasmin, 
"  Little  one,  don't  breathe  a  word ;  your  mother  knows 
nothing.  They  won't  torment  you  long !  Take  up  thy 
clothes,"  he  said.  "  Come,  poverty  is  not  a  crime.  Cour- 
age! Thou  art  even  rich.  Thou  hast  an  angel  on  high 
watching  over  thee.  Console  thyself,  brave  child,  and 
nothing  more  will  happen  to  vex  tliee." 

The  encouragement  of  the  abbe  proved  prophetic. 
No  more  troubles  of  this  kind  afflicted  the  bo}'.  The 
aged  priest  looked  after  the  well-being  of  himself  and 
family.  He  sent  them  bread  from  time  to  time,  and 
kept  the  wolf  from  their  door.  Meanwhile  Jasmin  did 
what  he  could  to  help  them  at  home.  During  the  vin- 
tage time  he  was  well  employed,  and  also  at  fair  times. 
He  was  a  helpful  boy,  and  was  always  willing  to  oblige 
friends  and  neighbors. 

But  the  time  arrived  when  he  must  come  to  some  de- 
termination as  to  his  future  callinir  in  life.    He  was  averse 


18  Jasmin. 

to  being  a  tailor,  seeing  the  sad  results  of  his  father's 
trade  at  home.  After  consultation  with  his  mother,  he 
resolved  on  becoming  a  barber  and  hair-dresser.  Very 
little  capital  was  required  for  carrying  on  that  trade :  only 
razors,  combs,  and  scissors. 

Long  after,  when  Jasmin  was  a  comparatively  thriving 
man,  he  said :  "  Yes,  I  have  eaten  the  bread  of  charity ; 
most  of  my  ancestors  died  at  the  hospital ;  my  mother 
pledged  her  nuptial  ring  to  buy  a  loaf  of  bread.  All  this 
shows  how  much  misery  we  had  to  endure,  the  frightful 
picture  of  which  I  have  placed  in  the  light  of  day  in  my 
"  Souvenirs."  But  I  am  afraid  of  wearying  the  public,  as 
I  do  not  wish  to  be  accused  of  aiming  too  much  at  con- 
trasts. For  when  we  are  happy,  perfectly  happy,  there 
is  nothing  further  from  what  I  am,  and  what  I  have  been, 
as  to  make  me  fear  for  any  misconstruction  on  the  part 
of  my  hearers." 


Barber  and  Hair-dresser,  19 


CHAPTER  III. 
BARBER  AND  HAIR-DRESSER. 

Jasmin  was  sixteen  years  old  when  lie  was  apprenticed 
to  a  barber  and  bair-dresser  at  Agon.  Tbe  barber's  sbop 
was  near  tlie  Prefecture — tbe  ancient  palace  of  tbe  bisb- 
op.  It  was  situated  at  tbe  corner  of  Lamoureux  Street 
and  tbe  alley  of  tbe  Prefecture.  Tbere  Jasmin  learned 
tbo  art  of  cutting,  curling,  and  dressing  bair,  and  of  deft- 
ly using  tbe  comb  and  tbe  razor.  Tbe  master  gave  bim 
instructions  in  tbe  trade,  and  watcbed  bim  wbile  at  work. 
Jasmin  was  willing  and  active,  and  was  soon  able  to  curl 
and  sbave  witb  any  apprentice  in  Agen. 

After  tbe  day's  work  was  over,  tbe  apprentice  retired 
to  lus  garret  under  the  tiles.  Tbere  be  spent  liis  even- 
ings, and  tbere  be  slept  at  nigbt.  Tbougb  tbe  garret  was 
infested  by  rats,  lie  tbougbt  notbing  of  tbem ;  be  iiad 
known  tbem  familiarly  at  home.  They  did  him  no  harm, 
and  they  even  learned  to  know  him.  His  garret  became 
his  paradise,  for  there  be  renewed  bis  love  of  reading. 
Tbe  solitariness  of  bis  life  did  bim  good  by  throwing  his 
mind  in  upon  himself,  and  showing  tbe  mental  stuff  of 
which  ho  was  made.  All  the  greatest  and  weightiest 
things  have  been  done  in  solitude. 

Tbe  first  books  he  read  were  for  tbe  most  part  bor- 
rowed. Customers  who  camo  to  the  shop  to  be  shaved 
or  have  their  liair  dressed  took  an  interest  in  the  conver- 
sation of  tbe  bright,  cheerful,  dark-eyed  lad,  and  some  of 


20  Jasmin. 

them  lent  him  books  to  read.  What  joy  possessed  him 
when  he  took  refuge  in  his  garret  with  a  new  book! 
Opening  the  book  was  like  opening  the  door  of  a  new 
world.  What  enchantment!  What  mystery!  What  a 
wonderful  universe  surrounds  us! 

In  reading  a  new  book  Jasmin  forgot  his  impoverished 
boyhood,  his  grandfather  Boe  and  his  death  in  the  hos- 
pital, his  expulsion  from  the  Seminary,  and  his  mother's 
sale  of  her  wedding-ring  to  buy  bread  for  her  children. 
He  had  now  left  the  past  behind,  and  a  new  world  lay 
entrancingly  before  him.  He  read  and  thought  and 
dreamed  until  far  on  in  the  morninsf. 

The  first  books  he  read  were  of  comparatively  little 
importance,  though  they  gave  him  an  opening  into  litera- 
ture. The  ChildrerCs  Magazine  *  held  him  in  raptures 
for  a  time.  Some  of  his  friendly  customers  lent  him  the 
Fables  of  Florian,  and  afterwards  Florian's  pastoral  ro- 
mance of  Estelle — perhaps  his  best  work.  The  singer  of 
the  Gardon  entirely  bewitched  Jasmin.  Estelle  allured 
him  into  the  rosy -fingered  regions  of  bliss  and  happi- 
ness. Then  Jasmin  himself  began  to  rhyme.  Florian's 
works  encouraged  him  to  write  his  first  verses  in  the  har- 
monious Gascon  patois,  to  which  he  afterwards  gave  such 
wonderful  brilliancy. 

In  his  after-life  Jasmin  was  often  asked  how  and  when 
he  first  began  to  feel  himself  a  poet.  Some  think  that 
the  poetical  gift  begins  at  some  fixed  hour,  just  as  one 
becomes  a  barrister,  a  doctor,  or  a  professor.  But  Jas- 
min could  not  give  an  answer. 

"I  have  often  searched  into  my  past  life,"  he  said, 
"  bnt  I  have  never  yet  found  the  day  when  I  began  my 
career  of  rhyming."  f 

*  3{agasin  des  Enfants.  f  Men  JVonveaux  Souvenirs. 


Barber  and  Hair-dresser.  21 

There  are  certain  gifts  whicb  men  can  never  attain  by 
will  and  work  if  God  has  not  put  the  seed  of  tbeni  into 
their  souls  at  birth,  and  poetry  is  one  of  those  gifts. 

When  such  a  seed  has  been  planted  its  divine  origin 
is  shown  by  its  power  of  growth  and  expansion,  and  in 
a  noble  soul  apparently  insurmountable  difficulties  and 
obstacles  cannot  arrest  its  development.  The  life  and 
career  of  Jasmin  amply  illustrates  this  truth.  Here  was 
a  young  man  born  in  the  depths  of  poverty.  In  his  early 
life  he  suffered  the  most  cruel  needs  of  existence.  When 
he  became  a  barber's  apprentice  he  touched  the  lowest 
round  of  the  ladder  of  reputation ;  but  he  had  at  least 
learned  the  befjinninfjs  of  knowledQ:e. 

lie  knew  how  to  read,  and  when  we  know  the  twentj'- 
four  letters  of  the  alphabet  we  may  learn  almost  every- 
thing that  wc  wish  to  know.  From  that  slight  begin- 
ning most  men  may  raise  themselves  to  the  heights  of 
moral  and  intellectual  worth  by  a  persevering  will  and 
the  faithful  performance  of  duty. 

At  the  same  time  it  must  be  confessed  that  it  is  alto- 
gether different  with  poetical  genius.  It  is  not  possible 
to  tell  what  unforeseen  and  forgotten  circumstances  may 
have  given  the  initial  impulse  to  a  poetic  nature.  It  is 
not  the  result  of  any  fortuitous  impression,  and  still  less 
of  any  act  of  the  will. 

It  is  possible  that  Jasmin  may  have  obtained  his  first 
insight  into  poetic  art  during  his  solitary  evening  walks 
along  the  banks  of  the  Garonne,  or  from  the  nightingales 
singing  overhead,  or  from  his  chanting  in  the  choir  when 
a  child.  Perhaps  the  Fables  of  Florian  kindled  the 
poetic  fire  within  him — at  least  they  may  have  acted  as 
the  first  stimulus  to  his  art  of  rhyming.  They  opened 
his  mind  to  the  love  of  nature,  to  the  pleasures  of  coun- 
try life,  and  the  joys  of  social  intercourse. 


22  Jasmin, 

There  is  nothing  in  the  occupation  of  a  barber  incom- 
patible with  the  cultivation  of  poetry.  Folez,  the  old 
German  poet,  was  a  barber,  as  well  as  the  still  more  cele- 
brated Burchiello,  of  Florence,  whose  sonnets  are  still  ad- 
mired because  of  the  purity  of  their  style.  Our  own  Al- 
lan Ramsay,  author  of  "The  Gentle  Shepherd,"  spent 
some  of  his  early  years  in  the  same  occupation.  In 
Southern  and  Oriental  life  the  barber  plays  an  important 
part.  In  the  Arabian  tales  he  is  generally  a  shrewd,  med- 
dling, inquisitive  fellow.  In  Spain  and  Italy  the  barber 
is  often  the  one  brilliant  man  in  his  town ;  his  shop  is 
the  place  where  gossip  circulates,  and  where  many  a  pret- 
ty intrigue  is  contrived. 

^Men  of  culture  are  often  the  friends  of  barbers.  Buf- 
fon  trusted  to  his  barber  for  all  the  news  of  Montbard. 
Moliere  spent  many  long  and  pleasant  hours  with  the 
barber  of  Pezenas.  Figaro,  the  famous  barber  of  Seville, 
was  one  of  the  most  perfect  prototypes  of  his  trade.  Jas- 
min was  of  the  same  calling  as  Gil  Bias,  inspired  with  the 
same  spirit,  and  full  of  the  same  talent.  He  was  a  French- 
man of  the  South,  of  the  same  race  as  Villon  and  Marot. 
Even  in  the  prim  and  formal  society  of  the  eighteenth 
century  the  barber  occupied  no  unimportant  part.  He 
and  the  sculptor,  of  all  working-men,  were  allowed  to  wear 
the  sword — that  distinctive  badge  of  gentility.  In  short, 
the  barber  was  regarded  as  an  artist.  Besides,  barbers  were 
in  ancient  times  surgeons ;  they  w^ere  the  only  persons  who 
could  scientifically  "  let  blood."  The  barber-surgeons  of 
London  still  represent  the  class.  They  possess  a  cap  pre- 
sented to  the  Guild  by  Charles  IL,  in  commemoration  of 
his  escape  while  taking  refuge  in  the  oak-tree  atBoscobel.* 

*  In  England  some  barbers  and  barbers'  sons  have  eventually 
occupied  the  highest  positions.    Arkwright,  the  founder  of  the  cot- 


Barber  and  Hair-dresser,  23 

But  to  return  to  tlie  adventures  of  Jasmin's  early  life. 
He  describes  with  great  zest  his  first  visit  to  a  theatre. 
It  was  situated  near  at  hand,  by  the  ancient  palace  of  the 
bishop.  After  his  day's  work  was  over  —  his  shaving, 
curling,  and  hair-dressing — he  went  across  the  square, 
and  pressed  in  with  the  rest  of  the  crowd.  He  took  his 
seat. 

"'Heavens!'  said  I,  *  where  am  I?'  The  curtain 
rises !  *  Oh,  this  is  lovely  !  It  is  a  new  world  ;  how  beau- 
tifully they  sing;  and  how  sweetly  and  tenderly  they 
speak  1'  I  had  eyes  for  nothing  else  :  I  was  quite  beside 
myself  with  joy.  *  It  is  Cinderella,'  I  cried  aloud,  in  my 
excitement.  *  Be  quiet,'  said  my  neighbor.  *  Oh,  sir !  why 
quiet?  Where  are  we?  What  is  this?'  *  You  gaping 
idiot,'  he  replied,  *  this  is  the  Comedy  !'  " 

Jasmin  now  remained  quiet;  but  he  saw  and  heard 
with  all  his  eyes  and  ears.  "  '  What  love  !  what  poetry  !' 
I  thought:  *it  is  more  than  a  dream  !  It's  macjic.  O 
Cinderella,  Cinderella !  thou  art  my  guardian  angel !'  And 
from  this  time,  from  day  to  day,  I  thought  of  being  an 
actor  1" 

Jasmin  entered  his  garret  late  at  night;  and  he  slept 
so  soundly  that  next  morning  his  master  went  up  to 
rouse  him.      "Where  were  you  last   night?      Answer, 


toil  inunufuctuie,  was  originally  a  barber.  Tenterden,  Lord  Chief- 
justice,  was  a  barber's  son,  intended  for  a  ciiorister  in  Canterbury 
Cathedral.  Sugden,  afterwards  Lord  Chancellor,  was  opposed  by 
a  noble  lord  while  engaged  in  a  parliamentary  contest.  Replying 
to  the  allegation  that  he  was  only  tiie  son  of  a  country  barber, 
Sugden  said:  "His  lordship  has  told  you  that  I  am  nothing  but 
the  son  of  a  country  barber;  but  he  has  not  told  you  all,  for  I 
have  been  a  barber  myself,  and  worked  in  my  father's  shop — and 
ail  I  wish  to  say  about  that  is,  that  liad  his  lordship  been  born 
the  son  of  a  country  barber  Ac  vcould  have  been  a  barber  still  T 


24  Jasmin. 

knave ;  you  were  not  back  till  midnight !"  "  I  was  at  the 
Comedy,"  answered  Jasmin,  sleepily ;  "  it  was  so  beauti- 
ful !"  "  You  have  been  there,  then,  and  lost  your  head. 
During  the  day  you  make  such  an  uproar,  singing  and 
declaiming.  You,  who  have  worn  the  cassock,  should 
blush.  But  I  give  you  up ;  you  will  come  to  no  good. 
Change,  indeed !  You  will  give  up  the  comb  and  razor, 
and  become  an  actor!  Unfortunate  boy,  you  must  be 
blind.     Do  you  want  to  die  in  the  hospital?" 

"This  terrible  word,"  says  Jasmin,  "  fell  like  lead  upon 
my  heart  and  threw  me  into  consternation.  Cinderella 
was  forthwith  dethroned  in  my  foolish  mind,  and  my 
master's  threat  completely  calmed  me.  I  went  on  faith- 
fully with  my  work.  I  curled  and  plaited  Jiair  in  my 
little  room.  As  the  saying  goes,  S'il  ne  phut,  il  bruine 
(If  it  does  not  rain,  it  drizzles).  When  I  suffered  least 
time  passed  all  the  quicker.  It  was  then  that,  dreaming 
and  happy,  I  found  two  lives  within  me — one  in  my  daily 
work,  another  in  my  garret.  I  was  like  a  bird ;  I  war- 
bled and  sang.  What  happiness  I  enjoyed  in  my  little 
bed  under  the  tiles !  I  listened  to  the  warbling  of  birds. 
Lo !  the  angel  came,  and  in  her  sweetest  voice  sang  to 
me.  Then  I  tried  to  make  verses  in  the  language  of  the 
shepherd  swain.  Bright  thoughts  came  to  me  ;  great  se- 
crets were  discovered.  What  hours !  What  lessons  ! 
What  pleasures  I  found  under  the  tiles !" 

During  the  winter  evenings,  when  night  comes  on 
quickly.  Jasmin's  small  savings  went  to  the  oil-merchant. 
He  trimmed  his  little  lamp,  and  went  on  till  late,  reading 
and  rhyming.  His  poetical  efforts,  first  written  in  French, 
were  to  a  certain  extent  successful.  While  shaving  his 
customers  he  often  recited  to  them  his  verses.  They 
were  amazed  at  the  boy's  cleverness,  and  expressed  their 
delight.     He  had  already  a  remarkable  talent  for  recita- 


Barber  and  JIair-dresser.  25 

tion,  and  in  course  of  time  lie  became  eloquent.  It  was 
some  time,  however,  before  his  powers  became  generally 
known.  The  ladies  whose  hair  he  dressed  sometimes 
complained  that  their  curl-papers  were  scrawled  over  with 
writing,  and,  when  opened  out,  they  were  found  covered 
with  verses. 

The  men  whom  he  shaved  spread  his  praises  abroad. 
In  so  small  a  town  a  reputation  for  verse-making  soon 
becomes  known.  "You  can  see  me,"  he  said  to  a  cus- 
tomer, "  with  a  comb  in  my  hand  and  a  verse  in  my 
head.  I  give  you  always  a  gentle  hand  with  my  razor  of 
velvet.     My  mouth  recites  while  my  hand  works." 

When  Jasmin  desired  to  display  his  oratorical  powers 
he  went  in  the  evenings  to  the  quarter  of  the  Augustins, 
where  the  spinning- women  assembled,  surrounded  by 
their  boys  and  girls.  There  he  related  to  them  his  pleas- 
ant narratives  and  recited  his  numerous  verses.  Indeed, 
he  even  began  to  bo  patronized.  His  master  addressed 
him  as  "  Moussu  " — the  master  who  had  threatened  him 
with  ending  his  days  in  the  hospital ! 

Thus  far  everything  had  gone  well  with  him.  What 
with  shaving,  hair-dressing,  and  rhyming,  two  years  soon 
passed  away.  Jasmin  was  now  eighteen,  and  proposed 
to  start  business  on  his  own  account.  This  required  very 
little  capital,  and  he  had  already  secured  many  acquaint- 
ances who  proposed  to  patronize  him.  M.  Boyerd'Agen, 
who  has  recently  published  the  works  of  Jasmin,  with  a 
short  preface  and  a  bibliography,*  says  that  he  first  began 
business  tis  a  hair-dresser  in  the  Cour  Saint- Antoine,  now 

*  CEuvres  CompUtes  de  Jacques  Jasmin:  Preface  de  rEdition,  Essai 
d'ortliographe  gascoune  d'apr^s  les  langues  Romaue  et  d'Oc,  et  col- 
lation de  la  traduction  lltt6ralc.     Par  Dover  d'Agen.     1889.    Qua- 
tre  volumes. 
2 


26  Jasmin. 

the  Cour  Voltaire.  When  the  author  of  this  memoir 
was  at  Agen  in  the  autumn  of  1888  the  proprietor  of 
the  Hotel  du  Petit  St.  Jean  informed  him  that  a  little 
apartment  had  been  placed  at  Jasmin's  disposal,  separated 
from  the  hotel  by  the  entrance  to  the  court-yard,  and  that 
Jasmin  had  for  a  time  carried  on  his  business  there. 

But  desiring  to  have  a  tenement  of  his  own,  he  shortly 
after  took  a  small  house  alongside  the  Promenade  du 
Gravier;  and  he  removed  and  carried  on  his  trade  there 
for  about  forty  years.  The  little  shop  is  still  in  exist- 
ence, with  Jasmin's  sign-board  over  the  entrance  door : 
"  Jasmin,  coiffeur  des  Jeunes  Gens,"  with  the  barber's 
sud-dish  hanging  from  a  pendant  in  front.  The  shop  is 
very  small,  with  a  little  sitting-room  behind,  and  several 
bedrooms  above.  When  I  entered  the  shop  during  my 
visit  to  Agen,  I  found  a  customer  sitting  before  a  look- 
ing-glass, wrapped  in  a  sheet,  the  lower  part  of  his  face 
covered  with  lather,  and  a  young  fellow  shaving  his 
beard. 

Jasmin's  little  saloon  was  not  merely  a  shaving  and  a 
curling  shop.  Eventually  it  became  known  as  the  sanct- 
uary of  the  Muses.  It  was  visited  by  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  people  in  France,  and  became  celebrated 
throughout  Europe.  But  this  part  of  the  work  is  re- 
served for  future  chapters. 


Jasmin  and  Mariette.  27 


CHAPTER  IV. 
JASMIN  AND   MARIETTE. 

Jasmin  was  now  a  bright,  vivid,  and  handsome  fellow, 
a  favorite  with  men,  women,  and  children.  Of  course, 
an  attractive  young  man,  with  a  pleasant,  comfortable* 
home,  could  not  long  remain  single.  At  length  love 
came  to  beautify  his  existence.  "  It  was  for  her  sake," 
he  says,  *'  that  I  first  tried  to  make  verses  in  the  sweet 
patois  which  she  spoke  so  well — verses  in  which  I  asked 
her,  in  rather  lofty  phrases,  to  be  my  guardian  angel  for 
life." 

Mariette  was  a  pretty,  dark-eyed  girl.*  She  was  an 
old  companion  of  Jasmin's,  and  as  they  began  to  know 
each  other  better  the  acquaintance  gradually  grew  into 
affection,  and  finally  into  mutual  love.  She  was  of  his 
own  class  of  life,  poor  and  hard-working.  After  the 
day's  work  was  over  they  had  many  a  pleasant  walk 
together  on  the  summer  evenings  along  the  banks  of  the 
Garonne  or  up  the  ascending  road  towards  the  Hermit- 
age and  the  rocky  heights  above  the  town.  There  they 
pledged  their  vows.  Like  a  poet,  he  promised  to  love  her 
forever;  she  believed  him,  and  loved  bim  in  return. 
The  rest  may  be  left  to  the  imagination. 

Jasmin  still  went  on  dreaming  and  rhyming !    Mariette 


*  In  Gascon,  Maj^nounct ;  her  pet  name,  Marie,  or  in  French,  Ma- 
riette.    Madame  Jasmin  called  herself  Marie  BurrJjre. 


28  Jasmin. 

was  a  lovely  subject  for  his  rhymes.  He  read  his  verses 
to  her;  and  she  could  not  but  be  pleased  with  his  devo- 
tion, even  though  recited  in  verse.  He  scribbled  his 
rhymes  upon  his  curl-papers;  and  when  he  had  read 
them  to  his  sweetheart  he  used  them  to  curl  the  hair  of 
his  fair  customers.  When  too  much  soiled  by  being 
written  on  both  sides  he  tore  them  up,  for  as  yet  he 
had  not  the  slightest  idea  of  publishing  his  verses. 

When  the  minds  of  the  young  pair  were  finally  made 
up  their  further  courtship  did  not  last  very  long.  They 
were  willing  to  be  united. 

"Happy's  the  wooing  that's  not  long  a-doin<j." 

The  wedding-day  at  length  arrived.  Jasmin  does  not 
describe  his  bride's  dress.  But  he  describes  his  own.  "  I 
might  give  you,"  he  says,  in  his  "  Souvenirs,"  "  a  picture 
of  our  happy  nuptial  day.  I  might  tell  you  at  length  of 
my  newly-dyed  hat,  my  dress-coat  with  blue  facings,  and 
my  home-spun  linen  shirt  with  calico  front.  But  I  for- 
bear all  details.  My  godfather  and  godmother  were  at 
the  wedding.  You  will  see  that  the  purse  did  not  always 
respond  to  the  wishes  of  the  heart." 

It  is  true  that  Jasmin's  wedding-garment  was  not  very 
sumptuous,  nor  was  his  bride's;  but  they  did  the  best 
that  they  could,  and  looked  forward  with  hope.  Jasmin 
took  his  wife  home  to  their  pleasant  house  on  the  Gra- 
vier,  and  joy  and  happiness  sat  down  with  them  at  their 
own  fireside.  There  was  no  charivari,  because  their  mar- 
riage was  suitable.  Both  had  been  poor,  and  the  wife 
was  ready  and  willing  to  share  the  lot  of  her  young  hus- 
band, whether  in  joy  or  sorrow.  Their  home  was  very 
small  and  cosey  —  very  different  from  the  rat -haunted 
house  of  his  lame  mother  and  hump-backed  father. 

Customers  came,  but  not  very  quickly.     The  barber's 


Jasmin  and' Mariette.  29 

shop  was  somewhat  removed  from  the  more  populous 
parts  of  the  town.  But  when  the  customers  did  come 
Jasmin  treated  them  playfully  and  humorously.  He  was 
as  lively  as  any  Figaro,  and  he  became  such  a  favorite 
that  when  his  customers  were  shaved  or  had  their  hair 
dressed  they  invariably  returned,  as  well  as  recommended 
others  to  patronize  the  new  coiffeur. 

His  little  shop,  which  was  at  first  nearly  empty,  soon 
became  fuller  and  fuller  of  customers.  People  took 
pleasure  in  coming  to  the  hair-dresser's  shop  and  hearing 
liim  recite  his  verses.  He  sang,  he  declaimed,  while  ply- 
ing his  razor  or  his  scissors.  But  the  chins  and  tresses 
of  his  sitters  were  in  no  danger  from  his  skipping  about, 
for  he  deftly  used  his  hands  as  well  as  his  head.  His 
razor  glistened  lightly  over  the  stubbly  beards,  and  his 
scissors  clipped  neatly  over  the  locks  of  his  customers. 

Except  when  so  engaged,  he  went  on  rhyming.  In  a 
little  town  gossip  flies  about  quickly,  and  even  gets  into 
the  local  papers.  One  day  Jasmin  read  in  one  of  the 
Agen  journals :  "  Pegasus  is  a  beast  that  often  carries 
poets  to  the  hospital."  Were  the  words  .intended  for 
him?  He  roared  with  laughter.  Some  gossip  had  be- 
witched the  editor.  Perhaps  he  was  no  poet.  His  rhymes 
would  certainly  never  carry  him  to  the  hospital.  Jasmin's 
business  was  becoming  a  little  more  lucrative.  It  is  true 
his  home  was  not  yet  fully  furnished,  but  day  by  day  he 
was  adding  to  the  plenishing.  At  all  events  his  humble 
home  protected  him  and  his  wife  from  wind  and  weather. 

On  one  occasion  M.  Gontaud,  an  amiable  young  poet, 
in  a  chaffing  way  addressed  Jasmin  as  "  Apollo !" — in  for- 
mer times  regarded  as  the  god  of  poetry  and  music.  The 
epistle  appeared  in  a  local  journal.  Jasmin  read  it  aloud 
to  his  family.  Gontaud  alleged  in  his  poem  that  Apollo 
had  met  Jasmin's  mother  on  the  banks  of  the  Garonne 


30  Jasmin. 

and  fell  in  love  with  her,  and  that  Jasmin,  because  of 
the  merits  of  his  poetry,  was  their  son. 

Up  flamed  the  old  pair!  "What,  Catherine,"  cried 
the  old  man,  "is  it  true  that  you  have  been  a  coquette? 
How !  have  I  been  only  the  foster-father  of  thy  little 
poet?"  "No!  No!"  replied  the  enraged  mother;  "he 
is  all  thine  own !  Console  thyself,  poor  John ;  thou 
alone  hast  been  my  mate.  And  who  is  this  'Polio,  the 
humbug  who  has  deceived  thee  so?  Yes,  I  am  lame; 
but  when  I  was  washing  my  linen  if  any  coxcomb  had 
approached  me  I  would  have  hit  him  on  the  mouth  with 
a  stroke  of  my  mallet !"  "  Mother,"  exclaimed  the 
daughter,  "  'Polio  is  only  a  fool  not  worth  talking  about. 
Where  does  he  live,  Jacques?"  Jasmin  relished  the  chaff, 
and  explained  that  he  only  lived  in  the  old  mythology 
and  had  no  part  in  human  affairs.  And  thus  was  Apollo, 
the  ancient  god  of  poetry  and  music,  sent  about  his  busi- 
ness. 

Years  passed  on.  The  married  pair  settled  down  quiet- 
ly, and  their  life  of  happiness  went  on  pleasantly.  The 
honeymoon  had  long  since  passed.  Jasmin  had  married 
at  twenty,  and  Mariette  was  a  year  younger. 

W^hen  a  couple  live  together  for  a  time  they  begin  to 
detect  some  little  differences  of  opinion.  It  is  well  if 
they  do  not  allow  those  little  differences  to  end  in  a 
quarrel.    This  is  always  a  sad  beginning  of  a  married  life. 

There  was  one  thing  about  her  husband  that  Mariette 
did  not  like.  This  was  his  verse- making.  It  was  all 
very  well  in  courtship,  but  was  it  worth  while  in  busi- 
ness? She  saw  him  scribbling  upon  curl-papers  instead 
of  attending  to  his  periwigs.  She  sometimes  interrupted 
him  while  he  was  writing;  and  on  one  occasion,  while 
Jasmin  was  absent  on  business,  she  went  so  far  as  to 
burn  his  pens  and  throw  his  ink  into  the  fire ! 


Jasmin  and  Mariette.  31 

Jasmin  was  a  good-natured  man,  but  lie  did  not  like 
tbis  treatment.  It  was  not  likely  to  end  in  a  quiet  do- 
mestic life,  lie  expostulated,  but  it  was  of  little  use. 
He  would  not  give  up  bis  bobby,  lie  went  on  rbyming, 
and  in  order  to  write  down  bis  verses  he  bougbt  new 
pens  and  a  new  bottle  of  ink.  Perbaps  be  felt  tbe  germs 
of  poetic  tbougbt  moving  witiiin  bim.  His  wife  resent- 
ed bis  conduct.  Wby  could  be  not  attend  to  tlie  sbav- 
ing  and  bair-dressing,  wbicb  brougbt  in  money,  instead 
of  wasting  time  in  scribbling  verses  on  his  curl-papers? 

M.  Charles  Nodier,  member  of  tbe  French  Academy, 
paid  a  visit  to  Agen  in  1832.  Jasmin  was  then  thirty- 
four  years  old.  He  had  been  married  fourteen  years, 
but  his  name  was  quite  unknown,  save  to  the  people  of 
Agen.  It  was  well  known  in  tbe  town  that  he  bad  a 
talent  for  versification,  for  be  was  accustomed  to  recite 
and  chant  his  verses  to  his  customers. 

One  quiet  morning  M.  Nodier  was  taking  a  leisurely 
walk  along  tbe  promenade  of  the  Gravier,  when  he  was 
attracted  by  a  loud  altercation  going  on  between  a  man 
and  a  woman  in  tbe  barber's  shop.  Tbe  woman  was  de- 
claiming with  tbe  fury  of  a  Xantippe,  while  tbe  man  was 
answering  her  with  Homeric  laughter.  Nodier  entered 
tbe  shop,  and  found  himself  in  tbe  presence  of  Jasmin 
and  his  wife.  He  politely  bowed  to  tbe  pair,  and  said 
that  be  had  taken  the  liberty  of  entering  to  see  whether 
be  could  not  establish  some  domestic  concord  between 
them. 

"Is  that  all  you  came  for?"  asked  tbe  wife,  at  tbe 
same  time  somewhat  calmed  by  the  entrance  of  a  stran- 
ger.    Jasmin  interposed : 

"  Yes,  my  dear — certainly  ;  but — " 

"Your  wife  is  right,  sir,"  said  Nodier,  thinking  that 
tbe  quarrel  was  about  some  debts  be  had  incurred. 


32  Jasmin. 

"  Truly,  sir,"  rejoined  Jasmin,  "  if  you  were  a  lover  of 
poetry  you  would  not  find  it  so  easy  to  renounce  it." 

"Poetry?"  said  Nodier.  "I  know  a  little  about  that 
myself." 

"  What!"  replied  Jasmin.  "So  much  the  better;  you 
will  be  able  to  help  me  out  of  my  difficulties." 

"  You  must  not  expect  any  help  from  me,  for  I  pre- 
sume you  are  oppressed  with  debts." 

"  Ha,  ha  1"  cried  Jasmin,  "  it  isn't  debts ;  it's  verses, 
sir." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  the  wife,  "it's  verses  —  always 
verses !     Isn't  it  horrible  ?" 

"  Will  you  let  me  see  what  you  have  written  ?"  asked 
Nodier,  turning  to  Jasmin. 

"  By  all  means,  sir.  Here  is  a  specimen."  The  verses 
began : 

"Femrae  ou  ddmon,  auge  on  sylx)hide, 
Oh!  par  pitid,  fiiis,  laisse-moi! 
Doux  miel  d'amour  ii'est  quo  poison  perfide, 
Mon  coeur  a  trop  soiifferfc,  il  dort,  61oigue-toi. 

"  Je  te  Tai  dit,  mon  coeur  sommeille; 
Laisse-le,  de  ses  maux  h,  peine  11  est  giidri, 
Et  j'ai  penr  que  ta  voix  si  douce  a  mou  oreille 
Par  uu  chant  d'amour  ne  I'dveille, 
Lui,  que  I'amour  a  taut  meuitri !" 

This  was  only  about  a  fourth  part  of  the  verses  which 
Jasmin  had  composed."^  Nodier  confessed  that  he  was 
greatly  pleased  with  them.  Turning  round  to  the  wife, 
he  said :  "  Madame,  poetry  knocks  at  your  door ;  open 

*  The  remaining  verses  are  to  be  found  in  tlie  collected  edition 
of  his  works — the  fourth  volume  of  Las  Papilldloa,  new  edition, 
pp.  24Y-49,  entitled  A  une  jeune  Voyageuse. 


Jasmin  and  Mariette.  33 

it.  Tliat  wliicli  inspires  it  is  nsnally  «i  noble  licart  and  a 
(iistino^uislied  spirit,  incapable  of  mean  actions.  Let  your 
husband  make  his  verses;  it  may  bring  you  good-luck 
and  Iiappiness." 

Then  turning  to  the  poet,  and  holding  out  his  hand, 
he  asked,  "  What  is  your  name,  my  friend  ?" 

*'  Jacques  Jasmin,"  he  timidly  replied. 

"A  good  name,"  said  Nodier.  "At  the  same  time, 
while  you  give  fair  play  to  your  genius,  don't  give  up 
the  manufacture  of  periwigs,  for  this  is  an  honest  trade, 
while  verse -making  might  prove  only  a  frivolous  dis- 
traction." 

Nodier  then  took  his  leave,  but  from  that  time  for- 
ward Jasmin  and  he  continued  the  best  of  friends.  A 
few  years  later,  when  the  first  volume  of  the  Papillotos 
appeared,  Nodier  published  his  account  of  the  above  in- 
terview in  Le  Temps.  He  afterwards  announced  in  the 
Quotidienne  the  outburst  of  a  new  poet  on  the  banks  of 
the  Garonne — a  poet  full  of  piquant  charm,  of  inspired 
harmony — a  Lamartine,  a  Victor  Hugo,  a  Gascon  Bo- 
ranger  ! 

After  Nodier's  departure  Madame  Jasmin  took  a  more 
favorable  view  of  the  versification  of  her  husband.  She 
no  longer  eluded  him.  The  shop  became  more  crowded 
with  customers.  Ladies  came  to  have  their  hair  dressed 
by  the  poet — it  was  so  original !  He  delighted  them 
with  singing  or  chanting  his  verses.  lie  had  a  sympa- 
thetic, perhaps  a  mesmeric  voice,  which  touched  the  souls 
of  his  hearers,  and  threw  them  into  the  sweetest  of 
dreams. 

Besides  attending  to  his  shop  he  was  accustomed  to 

go  out  in  the  afternoons  to,  dress  the  hair  of  four  or  five 

ladies.     This  occupied   him   for  about  two   hours,  and 

when  he  found  the  ladies  at  home  he  returned  with  four 

2* 


34  Jasmin. 

or  five  francs  in  his  purse.  But  often  they  were  not  at 
home,  and  he  came  home  francless.  Eventually  he  gave 
up  this  part  of  his  trade.  The  receipts  at  the  shop  were 
more  productive.  Madame  encouraged  this  economical 
reform ;  she  was  accustomed  to  call  it  Jasmin's  coup- 
d'etat. 

The  evenings  passed  pleasantly.  Jasmin  took  his  gui- 
tar and  sang  to  his  wife  and  children  ;  or,  in  the  summer 
evenings,  they  would  walk  under  the  beautiful  elms  in 
front  of  the  Gravier,  where  Jasmin  was  ready  for  busi- 
ness at  any  moment.  Such  prudence,  such  diligence, 
could  not  but  have  its  effect.  When  Jasmin's  first  vol- 
ume of  the  Papillotos  was  published,  it  was  received 
with  enthusiasm. 

"  The  songs,  the  curl-papers,"  said  Jasmin,  "  brought 
in  such  a  rivulet  of  silver  that  in  my  poetic  joy  I  broke 
into  morsels  and  burned  in  the  fire  that  dreaded  arm- 
chair in  which  my  ancestors  had  been  carried  to  the  hos- 
pital to  die." 

Madame  Jasmin  now  became  quite  enthusiastic.  In- 
stead of  breaking  the  poet's  pens  and  throwing  his  ink 
into  tlie  fire,  she  bought  the  best  pens  and  the  best  ink. 
She  even  supplied  him  with  a  comfortable  desk  on  which 
he  might  write  his  verses.  "  Courage !  courage  !"  she 
would  say  ;  "  each  verse  that  you  write  is  another  tile  to 
the  roof  and  a  rafter  to  the  dwelling;  therefore  make 
verses  !  make  verses  !" 

The  rivulet  of  silver  increased  so  rapidly  that  in  the 
course  of  a  short  time  Jasmin  was  enabled  to  buy  the 
house  in  which  he  lived — tiles,  rafters,  and  all.  Instead 
of  Pegasus  carrying  him  to  the  hospital,  it  carried  him 
to  the  office  of  the  notary,  who  enrolled  him  in  the  list 
of  collectors  of  taxes,  lie  was  now  a  man  of  substance, 
a  man  to  be  trusted.     The  notary  was  also  employed  to 


Jasmin  and  Mariette.  36 

convey   the   tenement  to   the  prosperous   Jasmin.     He 
ends  the  first  part  of  his  "Souvenirs"  with  these  words: 

"  When  Pegasus  kicks  with  a  fling  of  his  feet, 
Ho  sends  me  to  curl  on  my  hobby  horse  fleet; 
I  lose  all  my  time,  true,  not  paper  nor  notes, 
I  write  all  my  verso  on  my  ])apill6te8."  * 


*  Papillotes^  as  we  have  said,  are  curl-papers.     Jasmin's  words, 
in  Gascon,  are  these : 

"Quand  Pegazo  reguinno,  et  que  d'un  cot  de  pe 
M'emboyo  friza  mas  marotos, 
Perdi  moun  ten,  es  bray,  mais  noun  pas  moun  pape, 
BOti  mous  v5rs  en  papillotosl" 


36  Jasmin. 


CHAPTER  V. 

JASMIN  AND   GASCON.  — FIRST  VOLUME   OF 
"PAPILLOTES." 

Jasmin's  first  efforts  at  verse-making  were  necessarily 
imperfect.  He  tried  to  imitate  tlie  works  of  others  rather 
than  create  poetical  images  of  his  own.  His  verses  con- 
sisted mostly  of  imitations  of  the  French  poems  which  he 
had  read.  He  was  overshadowed  by  the  works  of  Boi- 
leau,  Gresset,  Rousseau,  and  especially  by  Beranger,  who, 
like  himself,  was  the  son  of  a  tailor. 

The  recollections  of  their  poetry  pervaded  all  his  ear- 
lier verses.  His  efforts  in  classical  French  were  by  no 
means  successful.  It  was  only  when  he  had  raised  liin?- 
self  above  the  influence  of  authors  who  had  preceded 
him  that  he  soared  into  originality  and  was  proclaimed 
the  Poet  of  the  South. 

Jasmin  did  not  at  first  write  in  Gascon.  In  fact,  he 
had  not  yet  mastered  a  perfect  knowledge  of  this  dialect. 
Though  familiarly  used  in  ancient  times,  it  did  not  exist 
in  any  written  form.  It  was  the  speech  of  the  common 
people ;  and  though  the  Gascons  spoke  the  idiom,  it 
had  lost  much  of  its  originality.  It  had  become  mixed, 
more  or  less,  with  the  ordinary  French  language,  and 
the  old  Gascon  words  were  becoming  gradually  forgot- 
ten. 

Yet  the  common  people,  after  all,  remain  the  deposi- 
tories of  old  idioms  and  old  traditions,  as  well  as  of  the 


Jasmin  and  Gascon.  37 

inheritances  of  the  past.  They  are  the  most  conservative 
element  in  society.  They  love  their  old  speech,  their  old 
dress,  their  old  manners  and  customs,  and  have  an  in- 
stinctive worship  of  ancient  memories.  Their  old  idioms 
are  long  preserved.  Their  old  dialect  continues  the  lan- 
Cjuage  of  the  fireside,  of  daily  toil,"  of  daily  needs,  and  of 
domestic  joys  and  sorrows.  It  hovers  in  the  air  about 
them,  and  has  been  sucked  in  with  their  mothers'  milk. 
Yet,  when  a  primitive  race  such  as  the  Gascons  mix  much 
with  the  people  of  the  adjoining  departments,  the  local 
dialect  gradually  dies  out,  and  they  le;irn  to  speak  the 
language  of  their  neighbors. 

The  Gascon  was  disappearing  as  a  speech,  and  very 
few  of  its  written  elements  survived.  Was  it  possible 
for  Jasmin  to  revive  the  dialect,  and  embody  it  in  a  writ- 
ten language?  He  knew  much  of  the  patois  from  hear- 
ing it  spoken  at  home.  But  now,  desiring  to  know  it 
more  thoroughly,  he  set  to  work  and  studied  it.  He  was 
almost  as  assiduous  as  Sir  Walter  Scott  in  learning  ob- 
scure Lowland  words  while  writing  the  Waverlerj  Novels. 
Jasmin  went  into  the  market-places,  where  the  peasants 
from  the  country  sold  their  produce,  and  there  he  picked 
up  many  new  words  and  expressions.  He  made  excur- 
sions  into  the  country  round  Agen,  where  many  of  the 
old  farmers  and  laborers  spoke  nothing  but  Gascon.  He 
conversed  with  illiterate  people,  and  especially  with  old 
women  at  their  spinning-wheels,  and  eagerly  listened  to 
their  ancient  tales  and  legends. 

He  thus  gathered  together  many  a  golden  relic,  which 
he  afterwards  made  use  of  in  his  poetical  works.  He 
studied  Gascon  like  a  pioneer.  He  made  his  own  lexicon, 
and  eventually  formed  a  written  dialect,  which  he  wove 
into  poems,  to  the  delight  of  the  people  in  the  South  of 
France.     For  the  Gascon  dialect  —  such  is  its  richness 


38  Jasmin. 

and  beauty — expresses  many  shades  of  meaning  which 
are  entirely  lost  in  the  modern  French. 

When  Jasmin  first  read  his  poems  in  Gascon  to  his 
townspeople  at  Agen  he  usually  introduced  his  readings 
by  describing  the  diflSculties  he  had  encountered  in 
prosecuting  his  inquiries.  His  hearers,  who  knew  more 
French  than  Gascon,  detected  in  his  poems  many  com- 
paratively unknown  words — not  indeed  of  his  own  crea- 
tion, but  merely  the  result  of  his  patient  and  long-con- 
tinued investigation  of  the  Gascon  dialect.  Yet  they 
found  the  language  as  written  and  spoken  by  him  full 
of  harmony  —  rich,  mellifluous,  and  sonorous.  Gascon 
resembles  the  Spanish,  to  which  it  is  strongly  allied,  more 
than  the  Provencal,  the  language  of  the  Troubadours, 
which  is  more  allied  to  the  Latin  or  Italian. 

Hallara,  in  his  History  of  the  Middle  Ages^  regards  the 
sudden  outburst  of  Troubadour  poetry  as  one  symptom 
of  the  rapid  impulse  which  the  human  mind  received  in 
the  twelfth  century,  contemporaneous  with  the  improved 
studies  that  began  at  the  Universities.  It  was  also  en- 
couraged bv  the  prosperity  of  Southern  France,  which 
was  comparatively  undisturbed  by  internal  warfare,  and 
it  continued  until  the  tremendous  storm  that  fell  upon 
Languedoc  during  the  crusade  against  the  Albigenses, 
which  shook  off  the  flowers  of  Provengal  literature.* 

The  language  of  the  south-west  of  France,  including 
the  Gascon,  was  then  called  Langue  d'Oc;  while  that  of 
the  south-east  of  France,  including  the  Provencal,  was 
called  Langue  d'Oil.  M.  Littre,  in  the  preface  to  his 
Dictionary  of  the  French  Language,  says  that  he  was  in- 
duced to  begin  the  study  of  the  subject  by  his  desire  to 


*  Hallam's  Middle  Ages,  iii.  434.     12th  edition  (Murray), 


Jasmin  and  Gascon.  39 

know  something  more  of  the  Langue  d'Oil  —  the  old 
French  language.* 

In  speaking  of  the  languages  of  Western  Europe,  M. 
Littr^  says  that  the  German  is  the  oldest,  beginning  in 
the  fourth  century  ;  that  the  French  is  the  next,  begin- 
ning in  the  ninth  century ;  and  that  the  English  is  the 
last,  beginning  in  the  fourteenth  century.  It  must  be 
remembered,  however,  that  Piatt  -  Beutsch  preceded  the 
German,  and  was  spoken  by  the  Frisians,  Angles,  and 
Saxons,  who  lived  by  the  shores  of  the  North  Sea. 

The  Gaelic,  or  Celtic,  and  Kymric  languages  were 
spoken  in  the  middle  and  north-west  of  France-,  but 
these,  except  in  Brittany,  have  been  superseded  by  the 
modern  French  language,  which  is  founded  mainly  on 
Latin,  German,  and  Celtic,  but  mostly  on  Latin.  The 
English  language  consists  mostly  of  Saxon,  Norse,  and 
Norman  -  French,  with  a  mixture  of  Welsh  or  Ancient 
British. 

That  language  is,  however,  no  test  of  the  genealogy  of 
a  people,  is  illustrated  by  the  history  of  France  itself. 
In  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries  the  Franks,  a  powerful 
German  race  from  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  invaded  and 
conquered  the  people  north  of  the  Somme,  and  eventu- 
ally gave  the  name  of  France  to  the  entire  country.  The 
Burgundians  and  Visigoths,  also  a  German  race,  invaded 

*  His  words  are  these :  "  La  conception  m'en  fut  siigg6ree  par 
mes  Etudes  sur  la  vieille  langue  fran9aise  ou  langue  d'o'il.  Je  fus 
si  frapp6  dcs  liens  qui  unissent  le  fran9ai3  raoderne  au  fian9ais 
ancien,  j'apcr9U3  tant  de  cas  oil  les  sens  et  des  locutions  du  jour 
no  s'expllquent  que  par  les  sens  et  les  locutions  d'autrefois,  tant 
d'exemples  oii  la  forme  des  mots  n'est  pas  intelligible  sans  les 
formes  qui  ont  pr6c6d6,  qu'il  me  sembla  que  la  doctrine  ct  m6me 
I'usage  de  la  langue  restent  mal  assis  s'ils  ne  rcposent  sur  leur 
base  antique."     (Preface,  ii.) 


40  Jasmin, 

France,  and  settled  themselves  in  the  south-east.  In  the 
year  464  Childeric  the  Frank  took  Paris. 

The  whole  history  of  the  occupation  of  France  is  told 
by  Augustin  Thierry  in  his  Narratives  of  the  Merovingian 
Times.  "  There  are  Franks,"  he  says  in  his  preface, 
"  who  remained  pure  Germans  in  Gaul ;  Gallo-Romans, 
irritated  and  disgusted  by  the  barbarian  rule;  Franks 
more  or  less  influenced  by  the  manners  and  customs  of 
civilized  life ;  and  '  Romans  more  or  less  barbarian  in 
mind  and  manners.'  The  contrast  may  be  followed  in 
all  its  shades  through  the  sixth  century,  and  into  the 
middle  of  the  seventh ;  later,  the  Germanic  and  Gallo- 
Roman  stamp  seemed  effaced  and  lost  in  a  semi-barbarism 
clothed  in  theocratic  forms." 

The  Franks,  when  they  had  completed  the  conquest  of 
the  entire  country,  gave  it  the  name  of  Franken-ric — the 
Franks'  kingdom.  Eventually,  Charles  the  Great,  or 
Charlemagne,  descended  from  Childeric  the  Frank,  was 
in  800  crowned  Emperor  of  the  West.  Towards  the  end 
of  his  reign  the  Norsemen  began  to  devastate  the  north- 
ern coast  of  Franken-ric.  Aix-la-Chapelle  was  Charle- 
magne's capital,  and  there  he  died  and  was  buried.  At 
his  death  the  Empire  was  divided  among  his  sons.  The 
Norse  Vikingers  continued  their  invasions,  and  to  pur- 
chase repose  Charles  the  Simple  ceded  to  the  Duke  Rollo 
a  large  territory  in  the  north-west  of  France,  which  in 
deference  to  their  origin  was  known  by  the  name  of 
Normandy. 

There  Norman  -  French  was  for  a  long  time  spoken. 
Though  the  Franks  had  supplanted  the  Romans,  the 
Roman  language  continued  to  be  spoken.  In  996  Paris 
was  made  the  capital  of  France,  and  from  that  time 
the  language  of  Paris  became,  with  various  modifications, 
the  language  of  France ;  and  not  only  of  France,  but  the 


Jasmin  and  Gascon.  41 

Itoman  or  Latin  tongue  became  the  foundation  of  the 
languages  of  Italy,  Spain,  and  Portugal.  Thus,  Gaulish, 
Fiankish,  and  Norman  disappeared  to  give  place  to  the 
Latin- French.  The  Kymric,  or  Celtic  language,  was 
preserved  only  in  Brittany,  where  it  still  lingers.  And 
in  the  south-west  of  Franco,  where  the  population  was 
farthest  removed  from  the  invasions  of  the  Gauls,  Os- 
trogoths, and  Visigoths,  the  Basques  continued  to  pre- 
serve their  language — the  Basques,  who  are  supposed  by 
Canon  Isaac  Taylor  to  be  the  direct  descendants  of  the 
Etruscans. 

The  descendants  of  the  Gauls,  however,  constitute  the 
mass  of  the  people  in  Central  France.  The  Gauls,  or 
Galatians,  are  supposed  to  have  come  from  the  central 
district  of  Asia  Minor.  They  were  always  a  warlike 
people.  In  their  wanderings  westward  they  passed 
through  the  north  of  Italy  and  entered  France,  where 
they  settled  in  large  numbers.  Br.  Smith,  in  his  Dic- 
tionary of  the  Bible,  says  that  "  Galatai  is  the  same 
word  as  Keltici,"  which  indicates  that  the  Gauls  were 
Kelts.  It  is  supposed  that  St.  Paul  wrote  his  Papistic  to 
the  Galatians  soon  after  his  visit  to  the  country  of  their 
origin.  *'  Its  abruptness  and  severity,  and  the  sadness 
of  its  tone,  are  caused  by  their  sudden  perversion  from 
the  doctrine  which  the  Apostle  had  taught  them,  and 
which  at  first  they  had  received  so  willingly."  It  is  no 
fancy  if  we  see  in  this  fickleness  a  specimen  of  that 
*' esprit  impetueux,  ouvert  a  toutes  les  impressions,"  and 
that  "mobilito  extreme,"  which  Thierry  marks  as  char- 
acteristic of  the  Gaulish  race. 

At  all  events,  the  language  of  the  Gauls  disappeared 
in  Central  France  to  make  way  for  the  language  of  tho 
capital  —  the  modern  French,  founded  on  the  Latin. 
The  Gaulish  race,  nevertheless,  preserved  their  character- 


42  Jcusmin. 

istics — quickness,  lightness,  mobility,  and  elasticity — qual- 
ities which  enabled  them  quickly  to  conceive  new  ideas, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  quickly  abandon  thein.  The 
Franks  had  given  the  country  the  name  it  now  bears — 
that  of  France.  But  they  were  long  regarded  as  enemies 
by  the  Central  and  Southern  Gauls.  In  Gascony  the 
foreigner  was  called  Lou  Franciman^  and  was  regarded 
with  suspicion  and  dislike. 

"This  term  of  Franciman,"  says  Miss  Costello,  who 
travelled  through  the  country  and  studied  the  subject, 
"evidently  belongs  to  a  period  of  the  English  occupation 
of  Aquitaine,  when  a  Frenchman  was  another  word  for 
an  enemy."*  But  the  word  has  probably  a  more  remote 
origin.  When  the  Franks,  of  German  origin,  burst  into 
Gaul,  and  settled  in  the  country  north  of  the  Loire,  and 
afterwards  carried  their  conquests  to  tlie  Pyrenees,  the 
Franks  were  regarded  as  enemies  in  the  South  of  France. 

"Then  all  the  countries,"  says  Thierry,  "  united  by 
force  to  the  empire  of  the  Franks,  and  over  which,  in 
consequence  of  this  union,  the  name  of  France  had  ex- 
tended itself,  made  unheard-of  efforts  to  reconquer  their 
ancient  names  and  places.  Of  all  the  Gallic  provinces, 
none  but  the  southern  ones  succeeded  in  this  great  en- 
terprise; and  after  the  wars  of  insurrection  which,  under 
the  sons  of  Charlemagne,  succeeded  the  wars  of  con- 
quest, Aquitaine  and  Provenge  became  distinct  states. 
Among  the  South  -  Eastern  provinces  reappeared  even 
the  ancient  name  of  Gaul,  which  had  forever  perished 
north  of  the  Loire.  The  chiefs  of  the  new  Kingdom  of 
Aries,  which  extended  from  the  Jura  to  the  Alps,  took 
the  title  of  Gaul  in  opposition  to  the  Kings  of  France."f 
, , 

*  Beam  and  the  Pi/renees^  i.  348, 

f  Thierry — Historical  Essays,  No.  XXIV. 


Jasmin  and  Gascon.  43 

It  is  probable  that  this  was  the  cause  of  tlie  name  of 
"Franciman"  beini^  regarded  as  an  hereditary  term  of  re- 
proach in  the  Gaulish  country  south  of  the  Loire.  Gas- 
con and  Provencal  were  the  principal  dialects  which  re- 
mained in  the  South,  though  Littre  classes  them  together 
as  the  language  of  the  Troubadours.  They  were  both 
well  understood  in  the  South,  and  Jasmin's  recitations 
were  received  with  as  much  enthusiasm  at  Nimes,  Aries, 
and  Marseilles,  as  at  Toulouse,  Agen,  and  Bordeaux. 

Mezzofanti,  a  very  Tower  of  Babel  in  dialects  and  lan- 
guages, said  of  the  Provencal  that  it  was  the  only  patois 
of  the  Middle  Ages,  with  its  numerous  derivations  from 
the  Greek,  the  Arabic,  and  the  Latin,  which  has  survived 
the  various  revolutions  of  language.  The  others  have 
been  altered  and  modified.  They  have  suffered  from 
the  caprices  of  victory  or  of  fortune.  Of  all  the  dialects 
of  the  Roman  tongue  this  patois  alone  preserves  its 
purity  and  life.  It  still  remains  the  sonorous  and  har- 
monious language  of  the  Troubadours.  The  patois  has 
the  suppleness  of  the  Italian,  the  sombre  majesty  of  the 
Spanish,  the  energy  and  preciscness  of  the  Latin,  with 
the  "  Molle  atquc  facetnm,  le  dolce  de  Tlonic,"  which  still 
lives  among  the  Phoceens  of  Marseilles.  The  imagina- 
tion and  genius  of  Gascony  have  preserved  the  other 
copious  richness  of  the  language. 

M.  de  Lavcrgne,  in  his  notice  of  Jasmin's  works, 
frankly  admits  the  local  jealousy  which  existed  between 
the  Troubadours  of  Gascony  and  Provence.  There 
seemed,  he  said,  to  be  nothing  disingenuous  in  the  si- 
lence of  the  Provencals  as  to  Jasmin's  poems.  They 
did  not  allow  that  he  borrowed  from  them,  any  more 
than  that  they  borrowed  from  liim.  These  men  of 
Southern  France  are  born  in  the  land  of  poetry.  It 
breathes  in  their  native  air.     It  echoes  round  them  in 


44  Jasmin, 

its  varied  measures.  Na}^,  the  rhymes  which  are  its  dis- 
tinguishing features  pervade  their  daily  talk.  The  seeds 
lie  dormant  in  their  native  soil,  and  when  trodden  under- 
foot they  burst  through  the  ground  and  evolve  their 
odor  in  the  open  air.  Gascon  and  Provencal  alike  pre- 
serve the  same  relation  to  the  classic  romance — that  love- 
ly but  short-lived  eldest  daughter  of  the  Latin — the. lan- 
guage of  the  Troubadours. 

We  have  said  that  the  Gascon  dialect  was  gradually  ex- 
piring when  Jasmin  undertook  its  revival.  His  success 
in  recovering  and  restoring  it,  and  presenting  it  in  a 
written  form,  was  the  result  of  laborious  investigation. 
lie  did  not  at  first  realize  the  perfect  comprehension  of 
the  idiom,  but  he  eventually  succeeded  by  patient  perse- 
verance. When  we  read  his  poems  we  are  enabled  to 
follow,  step  by  step,  his  lexicological  progress.  At  first 
he  clung  to  the  measures  most  approved  in  French 
poetry,  especially  to  Alexandrines  and  Iambic  tetrame- 
ters, and  to  their  irregular  association  in  a  sort  of  ballad 
metre,  which  in  England  has  been  best  handled  by  Robert 
Browning  in  his  fine  ballad  of  "  Ilarve  Kiel." 

Jasmin's  first  rhymes  were  written  upon  curl-papers 
and  then  used  on  the  heads  of  his  lady  customers. 
When  the  spirit  of  original  poetry  within  him  awoke 
his  style  changed.  Genius  brought  sweet  music  from 
his  heart  and  mind.  Imagination  spiritualized  his  nat- 
ure, lifted  his  soul  above  the  cares  of  ordinary  life,  and 
awakened  the  consciousness  of  his  affinity  with  what  is 
pure  and  noble.  Jasmin  sang  as  a  bird  sings — at  first  in 
weak  notes,  then  in  louder,  until  at  length  his  voice  filled 
the  skies.  Near  the  end  of  his  life  he  was  styled  the 
Saint  Vincent  de  Paul  of  poetry. 

Jasmin  might  be  classed  among  the  Uneducated  Poets. 
But  what  poet  is  not  uneducated  at  the  beginning  of 


Jasmin  and  Gascon.  46 

his  career.  The  essential  education  of  the  poet  is  not 
taui^ht  in  the  schools.  The  lowly  man,  against  whom 
the  asperities  of  his  lot  have  closed  the  doors  of  worldly 
academies,  may  nevertheless  have  some  special  vocation 
for  the  poetic  life.  Academies  cannot  shut  him  out  from 
the  odor  of  the  violet  or  the  song  of  the  nightingale. 
He  hears  the  lark's  song  filling  the  heavens,  as  the  happy 
bird  fans  the  milk-white  cloud  with  its  wings.  lie  listens 
to  the  purling  of  the  brook,  the  bleating  of  the  lambs, 
the  song  of  the  milkmaid,  and  the  joyous  cry  of  the 
reaper.  Thus  his  mind  is  daily  fed  with  the  choicest 
influences  of  nature.  lie  cannot  but  appreciate  the  joy, 
the  glory,  the  unconscious  delight  of  living.  "The  beau- 
tiful is  master  of  a  star."  This  feeling  of  beauty  is  the 
nurse  of  civilization  and  true  refinement.  Have  we  not 
our  Burns,  who 

"  in  glory  and  in  joy 
Followed  bis  plough  along  the  niouutaiu-sido;" 

Clare,  the  peasant  boy ;  Bloomfield,  the  farmer's  lad ; 
Tannahill,  the  weaver;  Allan  Ramsay,  the  peruke-maker; 
Cooper,  the  shoemaker;  and  Critchlcy  Prince,  the  factory- 
worker;  but  greater  than  these  was  Shakespeare,  though 
all  were  of  humble  origin. 

France,  too,  has  had  its  uneducated  poets.  Though 
the  ancient  song-writers  of  France  were  noble — Henry 
IV.,  author  of  "Charmante  Gabriclle ;"  Thibault,  Count 
of  Champagne;  Lusignan,  Count  do  la  Marche ;  Ilaval, 
Blondel,  and  Bassclin  de  la  Vive,  whose  songs  were  as 
joyous  as  the  juice  of  his  grapes — yet  some  of  the  best 
French  poets  of  modern  times  have  been  of  humble 
origin :  Marmontcl,  Moliere,  Rousseau,  and  Beranger. 
There  were  also  Reboul,  the  baker;  Ilibley,  the  working- 
tailor;  Gonzctta,  the   shoemaker;  Durand,  the    joiner; 


46  Jasmin. 

Marchand,  the  lace-maker;  Yoileau, the  sail-maker;  Magii, 
the  weaver;  Policy,  the  mason;  Germiny,  the  cooper;* 
and,  finally,  Jasmin,  the  barber  and  hair-dresser,  who  was 
not  the  least  of  the  uneducated  poets. 

The  first  poem  which  Jasmin  composed  in  the  Gascon 
dialect  was  written  in  1822,  when  he  was  only  twenty- 
four  years  old.  It  was  entitled  "  La  fidelitat  Agenoso," 
which  he  subsequently  altered  to  "Me  cal  Mouri"  {II 
me  fait  mourir)^  or  "  Let  me  Die."  It  is  a  languishing, 
romantic  poem,  after  the  manner  of  Florian,  Jasmin's  first 
master  in  poetry.  It  was  printed  at  Agen  in  a  quarto 
form  and  sold  for  a  franc.  Jasmin  did  not  attach  his 
name  to  the  poem,  but  only  his  initials. 

Sainte-Beuve,  in  his  notice  of  the  poem,  says,  "  It  is  a 
pretty,  sentimental  romance,  showing  that  Jasmin  pos- 
sessed the  brightness  and  sensibility  of  the  Troubadours. 
As  one  may  say,  he  had  not  yet  quitted  the  guitar  for 
the  flageolet ;  and  Marot,  who  spoke  of  his  flageolet,  had 
not,  in  the  midst  of  his  playful  spirit,  those  tender  ac- 
cents which  contrasted  so  well  with  his  previous  compo- 
sitions. And  did  not  Henry  IV.,  in  the  midst  of  his 
Gascon  gayeties  and  sallies,  compose  his  sweet  song  of 
"  Charmante  Gabrielle  ?"  Jasmin,  indeed,  is  the  poet  who 
is  nearest  the  region  of  Henry  IV."f 

"Me  cal  Mouri,"  was  set  to  music  by  Fourgons,  and 
obtained  great  popularity  in  the  south.  It  was  known 
by  heart,  and  sung  everywhere;  in  Agen,  Toulouse,  and 
throughout  Provence.  It  was  not  until  the  publication 
of  the  first  volume  of  his  poems  that  it  was  known  to  be 
the  work  of  Jasmin. 


*  Les  Pokes  da  Petiple  au  xiz.  Siede.     Pur  Alphonse  Vlollet. 
Paris,  1846. 

f  Portraits  ContemporainSy  ii.  61  (edition  1847). 


Jasmin  and  Gascon,  47 

Miss  Louisa  Stuart  Costcllo,  when  making  her  pilgrim- 
age  in  the  Soutli  of  France,  relates  that,  in  the  course 
of  her  journey,  "A  friend  repeated  to  me  two  charming 
ballads  picked  up  in  Languedoc,  where  there  is  a  variety 
in  the  patois.  I  cannot  resist  giving  them  here,  that 
my  readers  may  compare  the  difiference  of  dialect.  I 
wrote  them  down,  however,  merely  by  ear,  and  am  not 
aware  that  they  have  ever  been  printed.  The  mixture 
of  French,  Spanish,  and  Italian  is  very  curious."* 

As  the  words  of  Jasmin's  romance  were  written  down 
by  Miss  Costello  from  memory,  they  are  not  quite  accu- 
rate; but  her  translation  into  English  sufficiently  renders 
the  poet's  meaning.  The  following  is  the  first  verse  of 
Jasmin's  poem  in  Gascon — 

"Deja  hi  ncy  encrumis  la  uaturo, 
Tout  h%  tranquillo  et  tout  cargo  lou  dol ; 
Dius  lou  clouchfe  la  brezdgo  inurniuro, 
Et  lou  tuquet  succMo  al  rossignol: 
Del  mal,  b61as!  bebi  jnsq'^  la  ligo, 
Moun  c5  gdmis  sans  esponer  de  gari ; 
Plus  de  bounhur,  hy  perdut  moun  aniigo, 
Mo  cal  niouri !   nio  cal  mouri !" 

Which  Miss  Costello  thus  translates  into  English : 

"Already  sullen  night  comes  sadly  on, 

And  Nature's  form  is  clothed  with  mournful  weeds; 
Around  the  tower  is  heard  the  breeze's  moan, 

And  to  the  nightingale  the  bat  succeeds. 
Oh!   I  have  drained  the  cup  of  miserj'! 

My  fainting  heart  has  now  no  hoi^e  in  store. 
All!   wretched  me!   what  have  I  but  to  diet 

For  I  have  lost  my  love  for  evermore !" 


*  Pilgrimage  to  Auvergne,  ii.  210. 


48  Jasmin, 

Tliere  arc  four  verses  in  the  poem,  but  the  second  verse 
may  also  be  given — • 

"  Fair,  tender  Plicebe,  liasten  on  tliy  course, 

My  woes  revive  while  I  behold  thee  shine, 
For  of  my  hope  thou  art  no  more  the  source, 

And  of  my  happiness  no  more  the  sign. 
Oh!   I  have  drained  the  cup  of  misery. 

My  fainting  heart  has  now  no  hliss  in  store. 
Ah !    wretched  me !   what  have  I  but  to  die  ? 

Since  I  have  lost  my  love  for  evermore!" 

The  whole  of  the  poem  was  afterwards  translated  into 
modern  French,  and,  though  somewhat  artificial,  it  be- 
came as  popular  in  the  north  as  in  the  south. 

Jasmin's  success  in  his  native  town,  and  his  growing 
popularity,  encouraged  him  to  proceed  with  the  making 
of  verses.  His  poems  were  occasionally  inserted  in  the 
local  journals ;  but  the  editors  did  not  approve  of  his  use 
of  the  expiring  Gascon  dialect.  They  were  of  opinion 
that  his  works  might  be  better  appreciated  if  they  ap- 
peared in  modern  French.  Gascon  was  to  a  large  extent 
a  foreign  language,  and  greatly  interfered  with  Jasmin's 
national  reputation  as  a  poet. 

Nevertheless,  he  held  on  his  way,  and  continued  to 
write  his  verses  in  Gascon.  They  contained  many  per- 
sonal lyrics,  tributes,  dedications,  hymns  for  festivals,  and 
impromptus  scarcely  worthy  of  being  collected  and  print- 
ed. Jasmin  said  of  the  last  description  of  verse :  ''  One 
can  only  pay  a  poetical  debt  by  means  of  impromptus, 
and  though  they  may  be  good  money  of  the  heart,  they 
are  almost  always  bad  money  of  the  head." 

Jasmin's  next  poem  was  the  "  Charivari "  [Lou  Chali- 
baris),  also  written  in  Gascon.  It  was  composed  in  1825, 
when  he  was  twenty-seven  years  old ;  and  dedicated  to 


Jasmin  and  Gascon.  49 

M.  Duprount,  the  advocate,  who  was  himself  a  poetaster. 
The  dedication  contained  some  fine  passages  of  genuine 
beauty  and  graceful  versification.  It  was  in  some  re- 
spects an  imitation  of  the  "Lulrin"  of  Boileau.  It  was 
very  different  from  the  doggerel  in  which  he  liad  taken 
part  with  his  hump-backed  father  so  long  ago.  Then  he 
had  blown  the  cow-liorn,  now  he  spoke  with  the  tongue 
of  a  trumpet.  The  hero  of  Jasmin's  "Charivari"  was 
one  Aduber,  an  old  widower,  wlio  dreamed  of  remarry- 
ing. It  reminded  one  of  the  strains  of  Beranger,  in  oth- 
er passages  of  the  mock-heroic  poem  of  Boileau. 

Though  the  poem,  when  published,  was  read  with  much 
interest,  it  was  not  nearly  so  popular  as  "Me  cal  Mouri." 
This  last- mentioned  poem,  his  first  published  work, 
touched  the  harp  of  sadness ;  while  his  "  Charivari "  dis- 
j)layed  the  playfulness  of  joy.  Thus,  at  the  beginning 
of  his  career,  Jasmin  revealed  himself  as  a  poet  in  two 
very  different  styles;  in  one,  touching  tlie  springs  of 
grief,  and  in  the  other  exhibiting  brightness  and  happi- 
ness. At  the  end  of  the  same  year  he  sounded  his  third 
an«I  deepest  note  in  his  poem  "On  the  Death  of  Gener- 
al Foy  " — one  of  France's  truest  patriots.  Now  his  lyre 
was  complete ;  it  had  its  three  strings — of  sadness,  joy, 
and  sorrow. 

These  three  poems,  "  Me  cal  Mouri,"  the  "  Charivari," 
and  the  ode  "On  the  Death  of  General  Foy,"  with  some 
other  verses,  were  published  in  1825.  What  was  to  be 
the  title  of  the  volume  ?  As  Adam,  the  carpenter-poet 
of  Nevers,  had  entitled  his  volume  of  poetry  Shavings, 
so  Jasmin  decided  to  name  his  collection  The  Curl-pa- 
pers of  Jasmin,  Coiffeur  of  A  gen.  The  title  was  a  good 
one,  and  the  subsequent  volumes  of  his  works  were 
known  as  La  Papillotos  (the  Cuil -Papers)  of  Jasmin. 
The  publication  of  this  first  volume  served  to  make  Jas- 
3 


50  Jasmin. 

min's  name  popular  beyond  the  town  in  wliicli  they  had 
been  composed  and  pubhshed.  His  friend,  M.  Gaze,  said 
of  him,  that  during  the  year  1825  he  had  been  marrying 
his  razor  with  the  swan's  quill ;  and  that  his  hand  of  vel- 
vet in  shaving  was  even  surpassed  by  his  skill  in  verse- 
making. 

Charles  Nodier,  his  old  friend,  who  had  entered  the 
barber's  shop  some  years  before  to  intercede  between 
the  poet  and  his  wife,  sounded  Jasmin's  praises  in  the 
Paris  journals.  He  confessed  that  he  had  been  greatly 
struck  with  the  *'  Charivari,"  and  boldly  declared  that 
the  language  of  the  Troubadours,  which  every  one  sup- 
posed to  be  dead,  was  still  in  full  life  in  France ;  that  it 
not  only  lived,  but  that  at  that  very  moment  a  poor  bar- 
ber at  Agen,  without  any  instruction  beyond  that  given 
by  the  fields,  the  woods,  and  the  heavens,  had  written  a 
serio-comic  poem  which,  at  the  risk -of  being  thought 
crazy  by  his  colleagues  of  the  Academy,  he  considered 
to  be  better  composed  than  the  "  Lutrin  "  of  Boileau,  and 
even  better  than  one  of  Pope's  masterpieces,  the  "  Rape 
of  the  Lock." 

The  first  volume  of  the  Papillotes  sold  very  well ;  and 
the  receipts  from  its  sale  not  only  increased  Jasmin's  in- 
come, but  also  increased  his  national  reputation.  Jasmin 
was  not,  however,  elated  by  success.  He  remained  sim- 
ple, frugal,  honest,  and  hard-working.  He  was  not  car- 
ried off  his  feet  by  eclat.  Though  many  illustrious 
strangers,  when  passing  through  Agen,  called  upon  and 
interviewed  the  poetical  coiffeur,  he  quietly  went  back 
to  his  razors,  his  combs,  and  his  periwigs,  and  cheerfully 
pursued  the  business  that  he  could  always  depend  upon 
in  his  time  of  need. 


Miscellaneous  Verses.  61 


CHAPTER  VI. 

MISCELLANEOUS  VERSES.— BERANGER.—"  MES  SOUVE- 
NIRS."—PAUL  DE  MUSSET. 

During  the  next  four  years  Jasmin  composed  no  work 
of  special  importance.  He  occasionally  wrote  poetry, 
but  chiefly  on  local  subjects.  In  1828  he  wrote  an  im- 
promptu to  M.  Pradel,  who  had  improvised  a  Gascon  song 
in  honor  of  the  poet.  The  Gascon  painter,  Champmas, 
had  compared  Jasmin  to  a  ray  of  sunshine,  and  in  1829 
the  poet  sent  him  a  charming  piece  of  verse  in  return  for 
his  compliment. 

In  1830  Jasmin  composed  "  The  Third  of  May,"  which 
was  translated  into  French  by  M.  Duvigneau.  It  appears 
that  the  Count  of  Dijon  had  presented  to  the  town  of 
Nerac,  near  Agcn,  a  bronze  statue  of  Henry  IV.,  exe- 
cuted by  the  sculptor  Raggi — of  the  same  character  as 
the  statue  erected  to  the  same  monarch  at  Pan.  But 
though  Henry  IV.  was  born  at  Pau,  Nerac  was  perhaps 
more  identified  with  him,  for  there  he  had  his  strong  cas- 
tle, though  only  its  ruins  now  remain. 

Nerac  was  at  one  time  almost  the  centre  of  the  Refor- 
mation in  France.  Clement  Marot,  the  poet  of  the  Re- 
formed faith,  lived  there ;  and  the  house  of  Theodore  de 
Beze,  who  emigrated  to  Geneva,  still  exists.  The  Prot- 
estant faith  extended  to  Agen  and  the  neighboring 
towns.  When  tlie  Roman  Catholics  obtained  the  upper- 
hand,   persecutions  began.      Vindocin,  the  pastor,  was 


52  Jasmin. 

burned  alive  at  Agen.  J.  J.  Scaliger  was  an  eye-witness 
of  the  burning,  and  he  records  the  fact  that  not  less  than 
300  victims  perished  for  their  faith. 

At  a  later  time  Nerac,  which  had  been  a  prosperous 
town,  was  ruined  by  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes;  for  the  Protestant  population,  who  had  been 
the  most  diligent  and  industrious  in  the  town  and  neigh- 
borhood, were  all  either  "  converted,"  hanged,  sent  to  the 
galleys,  or  forced  to  emigrate  to  England,  Holland,  or 
Prussia.  Nevertheless,  the  people  of  Nerac  continued  to 
be  proud  of  their  old  monarch. 

The  bronze  statue  of  Henry  IV.  was  unveiled  in  1829. 
On  one  side  of  the  marble  pedestal  supporting  the  statue 
were  the  words  "  Alumno,  mox  patri  nostro,  Henrico 
quarto,"  and  on  the  reverse  side  was  a  verse  in  the  Gas- 
con dialect.: 

'•'Brabcs  Gascons! 
A  moun  anion  per  bous  aon  dib^s  creyrc ; 
Bciies!     Benes!  ^y  plazd  do  bous  beyrc! 
Ai)proiicba-bous !" 

The  words  were  assumed  to  be  those  of  Henry  IV"., 
and  may  be  thus  translated  into  English : 

"Brave  Gascons! 
You  may  well  trust  my  lovo  for  yon ; 
Come !     Come !     I  leave  to  you  my  glory ! 
Come  near!     Approacb!"* 

*  M.  Duvigneau  thus  translated  the  words  into  French  :  he  be- 
gins his  verses  by  announcing  the  birth  of  Henry  IV. : 

"A  son  aspect,  mille  cris  d'allegresse 
Ebranlent  le  palais  et  montent  jusqu'au  ciel : 

Le  voilit  beau  commc  dans  sa  jeunesse, 
Alors  qu'il  recevait  le  baiser  maternel. 


Miscella7ieou8  Verses.  63 

It  is  necessary  to  explain  how  the  verse  in  Gascon 
came  to  be  engraved  on  the  pedestal  of  the  statue.  The 
Society  of  Agriculture,  Sciences,  and  Arts,  of  Agcn,  of- 
fered a  prize  of  300  francs  for  the  best  ode  to  the  mem- 
ory of  Henry  the  Great.  Many  poems  were  accordingly 
sent  in  to  the  Society  ;  and,  after  some  consideration,  it 
was  thought  that  the  prize  should  be  awarded  to  M.  Jude 
Patissie.  But  among  the  thirty-nine  poems  which  had 
been  presented  for  examination,  it  was  found  that  two 
had  been  written  in  the  Gascon  dialect.  The  committee 
were  at  first  of  opinion  that  they  could  not  award  the  prize 
to  the  author  of  any  poem  written  in  the  vulgar  tongue. 

At  the  same  time  they  reported  that  one  of  the  poems 
written  in  Gascon  possessed  such  real  merit  that  the  com- 
mittee decided  by  a  unanimous  vote  that  a  prize  should 
be  awarded  to  the  author  of  the  best  poem  written  in  the 
Gascon  dialect.  Many  poems  were  accordingly  sent  in 
and  examined.  "  Lou  Tres  de  May  "  was  selected  as  the 
best ;  and  on  the  letter  attached  to  the  poem  being  opened 
the  president  proclaimed  the  author  to  be  "Jasmin,  Coif- 
feur." After  the  decision  of  the  Society  at  Agen,  the 
people  of  Nerac  desired  to  set  their  seal  upon  their  judg- 
ment, and  they  accordingly  caused  the  above  words  to  be 
engraved  on  the  reverse  side  of  the  pedestal  supporting 
the  statue  of  Henry  IV.  Jasmin's  poem  was  crowned  by 
the  Academy  of  Agen;  and  though  it  contained  many 
fine  verses,  it  had  the  same  merits  and  the  same  defects 
as  the  "  Charivari,"  published  a  few  years  before. 


A  CO  peuple  charm6  qui  des  yeux  le  devore 
Le  bou  Roi  semble  <lire  encore: 

'  Braves  Gascons,  accourez  tons  ; 
A  mon  amour  pour  vou.s  vous  devez  croire; 
Je  njct  h.  vous  revoir  mon  bonhour  ct   lua  gloire, 
Vcncz,  vcncz,  approclicz-vous  I'  ' 


54  Jasmin. 

M.  Rodiere,  professor  of  law  at  Toulouse,  was  of  opin- 
ion that  during  the  four  years  in  which  Jasmin  produced 
no  work  of  any  special  importance  he  was  carefully 
studying  Gascon ;  for  it  ought  to  be  known  that  the 
language  in  which  Godolin  wrote  his  fine  poems  is  not 
without  its  literature.  "  The  fact,"  says  Rodiere,  "  that 
Jasmin  used  some  of  his  time  in  studying  the  works  of 
Godolin  is  that  while  in  '  Lou  Charibari '  there  are  some 
French  words  ill-disguised  in  a  Gascon  dress,  on  the  oth- 
er hand,  from  the  year  1830,  there  are  none;  and  the 
language  of  Jasmin  is  the  same  as  the  language  of  Godo- 
lin, except  for  a  few  trifling  differences,  due  to  the  differ- 
ent dialects  of  Agen  and  Toulouse." 

Besides  studying  Gascon,  Jasmin  had  some  military 
duties  to  perform.  He  was  corporal  of  the  third  com- 
pany of  the  National  Guard  of  Agen;  and  in  1830  he 
addressed  his  comrades  in  a  series  of  verses.  One  of 
these  was  a  song,  entitled  "  The  Flag  of  Liberty  "  {Lou 
Drapeou  de  laLibertat) ;  another,  "The  good  all-merciful 
God  !"  {Lou  Boun  Diou  liberal) ;  and  the  third  was  "  Lou 
Seromen." 

Two  years  later,  in  1832,  Jasmin  composed  "The  Gas- 
cons," which  he  improvised  at  a  banquet  given  to  the  non- 
commissioned officers  of  the  14th  Chasseurs.  Of  course 
the  improvisation  was  carefully  prepared ;  and  it  was 
composed  in  French,  as  the  non-commissioned  officers 
did  not  understand  the  Gascon  dialect.  Jasmin  extolled 
the  valor  of  the  French,  and  especially  of  the  Gascons. 
Tlie  last  lines  of  his  eulogy  ran  as  follows : 

"  O  Liberty  !   mother  of  victory, 
Thy  flag  always  brings  us  success! 
Though  as  Gascons  we  sing  of  thy  glory, 
We  chastise  our  foes  with  the  French!" 


Beranger.  66 

In  the  same  year  Jasmin  addressed  the  poet  Beranger 
in  a  pleasant  poetical  letter  written  in  classical  French. 
Beranger  replied  in  prose;  his  answer  was  dated  July 
12,  1832.  He  thanked  Jasmin  for  his  fervent  eulogy. 
Tiiough  he  thought  that  the  Gascon  poet's  praise  of  his 
works  was  exaggerated,  he  believed  in  his  sincerity. 

"I  hasten  to  express  my  thanks  for  the  kindness  of 
your  address.  Believe  in  my  sincerity,  as  I  believe  in 
your  praises.  Your  exaggeration  of  my  poetical  merits 
make  me  repeat  the  first  words  of  your  address,  in  which 
you  assume  the  title  of  a  Gascon*  poet.  It  would  please 
me  much  better  if  you  would  be  a  French  poet,  as  you 
prove  by  your  epistle,  which  is  written  with  taste  and 
harmony.  The  sympathy  of  our  sentiments  has  in- 
spired you  to  praise  me  in  a  manner  which  I  am  far 
from  meriting.  Nevertheless,  sir,  I  am  proud  of  your 
sympathy. 

"You  have  been  born  and  brought  up  in  the  same  con- 
dition as  myself.  Like  me,  you  appear  to  have  triumphed 
over  the  absence  of  scholastic  instruction,  and  like  me, 
too,  you  love  your  country.  You  reproach  me,  sir,  with 
the  silence  which  I  have  for  some  time  preserved.  At 
the  end  of  this  year  I  intend  to  publish  my  last  volume; 
I  will  then  take  my  leave  of  the  public.  I  am  now  fifty- 
two  years  old.  I  am  tired  of  the  world.  My  little  mis- 
sion is  fulfilled,  and  the  public  lias  had  enough  of  me.  I 
am  therefore  making  arrangements  for  retiring.  With- 
out the  desire  for  living  longer,  I  have  broken  silence  too 
soon.  At  least  you  must  pardon  the  silence  of  one  who 
has  never  demanded  anything  of  his  country.     I  care 

*  Gascon  or  Gasconade  is  often  used  as  implying  hoattting  or 
gnxconading. 


56  Jasmin. 

nothing  about  power,  and  liave  now  merely  the  ambition 
of  a  morsel  of  bread  and  repose. 

"I  ask  your  pardon  for  submitting  to  you  these  per- 
sonal details;  but  your  epistle  makes  it  my  duty.  I 
thank  you  again  for  the  pleasure  you  have  given  me.  I 
do  not  understand  the  language  of  Langucdoc,  but  if  you 
speak  this  language  as  you  write  French,  I  dare  to  proph- 
esy a  true  success  in  the  further  publication  of  your 
works. — Beranger."  * 

Notwithstanding  this  advice  of  Beranger  and  other 
critics.  Jasmin  continued  to  write  his  poems  in  the  Gas- 
con dialect.  He  had  very  little  time  to  spare  for  the 
study  of  classical  French ;  he  was  occupied  with  the 
trade  by  which  he  earned  his  living,  and  his  business  was 
increasing.  His  customers  were  always  happy  to  hear 
him  recite  his  poetry  while  he  shaved  their  beards  or 
dressed  their  hair. 

He  was  equally  unfortunate  with  M.  Minier,  of  Bor- 
deaux. Jasmin  addressed  him  in  a  Gascon  letter  full  of 
bright  poetry,  not  unlike  Burns's  "Vision,"  when  he 
dreamt  of  becoming  a  song-writer.  The  only  consolation 
that  Jasmin  received  from  M.  Minier  was  a  poetical  let- 
ter, in  which  the  poet  was  implored  to  retain  his  position, 
and  not  to  frequent  the  society  of  distinguished  persons. 

Perhaps  the  finest  work  which  Jasmin  composed  at 
this  period  of  his  life  was  that  which  he  entitled  "Mous 
Soubenis,"  or  "  My  Recollections."  In  none  of  his  poems 
did  he  display  more  of  the  characteristic  qualities  of  his 
mind,  his  candor,  his  pathos,  and  his  humor,  than  in 
these  verses.     He  used  the  rustic  dialect,  from  which  he 

*  This  letter  was  written  before  Jasmin  had  decided  to  publish 
the  second  volume  of  his  Fapillotes^  which  appeared  in  1835. 


^^Mes  Souvenirs,'*''  67 

never  afterwards  departed,  lie  showed  that  the  Gascon 
was  not  yet  a  dead  language,  and  he  lifted  it  to  the  level  of 
the  most  serious  themes.  His  verses  have  all  the  greater 
charm  because  of  their  artless  gayety,  their  delicate  taste, 
and  the  sweetness  of  their  cadence. 

Jasmin  began  to  compose  his  "Recollections"  in  1830, 
but  the  first  two  cantos  were  not  completed  until  two 
years  later.  The  third  canto  was  added  in  1835,  when 
the  poem  was  published  in  the  first  volume  of  his  Curl- 
Papers  {Papillotes).  These  recollections,  in  fact,  con- 
stitute Jasmin's  autobiography,  and  we  are  indebted  to 
them  for  the  description  we  have  already  given  of  the 
poet's  early  life. 

Many  years  later  Jasmin  wrote  his  "Mous  noubels  Sou- 
benis"  (My  New  Recollections)  ;  but  in  that  work  he  re- 
turned to  the  trials  and  the  enjoyments  of  his  youth,  and 
described  few  of  the  events  of  his  later  life.  "  What  a 
pity,"  says  M.  Rodiere,  "that  Jasmin  did  not  continue 
to  write  his  impressions  until  the  end  of  his  life !  What 
trouble  he  would  have  saved  his  biographers!  For  how 
can  one  speak  when  Jasmin  ceases  to  sing?" 

It  is  unnecessary  to  return  to  the  autobiography  and 
repeat  the  confessions  of  Jasmin's  youth.  His  joys  and 
sorrows  are  all  described  there — his  birth  in  the  poverty- 
stricken  dwelling  in  the  Rue  Fon-de-Rache,  his  love  for 
his  parents,  his  sports  with  his  playfellows  on  the  banks 
of  the  Garonne,  his  blowing  the  horn  in  his  father's 
charivaris,  his  enjoyment  of  the  tidbits  which  old  Boo 
brought  home  from  his  begging  tours,  the  decay  of  the 
old  man,  and  his  conveyance  to  the  hospital  "  where  all 
the  Jasmins  die;"  then  his  education  at  the  academy,  his 
toying  with  the  house-maid,  his  stealing  the  preserves,  his 
expulsion  from  the  Seminary,  and  the  sale  of  his  mother's 
wedding-ring  to  buv  bread  for  her  family. 

3* 


58  Jasmin. 

While  composing  the  first  two  cantos  of  the  "  Souve- 
nirs" he  seemed  half-ashamed  of  the  homeliness  of  the  tale 
he  had  undertaken  to  relate.  Should  he  soften  and  bright- 
en it  ?  Should  he  dress  it  up  with  false  lights  and  colors  ? 
For  there  are  times  when  falsehood  in  silk  and  gold  is 
acceptable,  and  the  naked,  new-born  truth  is  unwelcome. 
But  he  repudiated  the  thought,  and  added : 

''  Myself,  nor  less,  nor  more,  I'll  draw  for  you. 
And  if  uot  bright,  the  likeness  shall  be  trueJ^ 

The  third  canto  of  the  poem  was  composed  at  inter- 
vals. It  took  him  two  more  years  to  finish  it.  It  com- 
mences with  his  apprenticeship  to  the  barber;  describes 
his  first  visit  to  the  theatre,  his  reading  of  Florian's  ro- 
mances and  poems,  his  solitary  meditations,  and  the  birth 
and  growth  of  his  imagination.  Then  he  falls  in  love, 
and  a  new  era  opens  in  his  life.  He  writes  verses  and 
sings  them.  He  opens  a  barber's  shop  of  his  own,  mar- 
ries, and  brings  his  young  bride  home.  "  Two  angels," 
he  says,  "took  up  their  abode  with  me."  His  newly- 
wedded  wife  was  one,  and  the  other  was  his  rustic  Muse 
— the  angel  of  homely  pastoral  poetry ; 

"'Who,  flnttering  softly  from  on  hi<»li, 
Raised  ou  his  wing  and  bore  me  fur, 
Where  fields  of  balmiest  ether  are ; 
There,  In  the  shepherd  lassie's  speech, 
I  sang  a  song,  or  shaped  a  rhyme ; 
There  learned  I  stronger  love  than  I  can  teach. 
Oh,  mystic  lessons!     Happy  time! 
And  fond  farewells  I  said,  when  at  the  close  of  day. 
Silent  she  led  my  spirit  back  whence  it  was  borne  away!" 

He  then  speaks  of  the  happiness  of  his  wedded  life ; 
he  shaves  and  sings  most  joyfully.     A  little  rivulet  of 


'^Mee  Souvenirs.^^  59 

silver  passes  into  the  barber's  shop,  and  in  a  fit  of  poetic 
ardor  he  breaks  into  pieces  and  burns  the  wretched  arm- 
chair in  which  liis  ancestors  were  borne  to  the  hospital 
to  die.  His  wife  no  longer  troubles  him  with  her  doubts 
as  to  his  versos  interfering  with  his  business.  She  sup- 
plies him  with  pen,  paper,  ink,  and  a  comfortable  desk ; 
and  in  course  of  time  he  buys  the  house  in  which  he 
lives,  and  becomes  a  man  of  importance  in  Agcn.  He 
ends  the  third  canto  with  a  sort  of  hurrah  : 

*'  Thus,  reader,  have  I  told  m^'^  tale  in  cantos  three : 
Though  still  I  sing,  I  hazard  no  great  risk  ; 
For  should  Pegasus  rear  aud  fliug  me,  it  is  clear, 

However  ruffled  all  my  faucies  fair, 
I  waste  my  time,  'tis  true ;  though  verses  I  may  lose, 

The  paper  still  will  serve  for  curling  hair."* 

Robert  Nicoll,  the  Scotch  poet,  said  of  his  works :  "  I 
have  written  my  heart  in  my  poems;  and  rude,  unfin- 
ished, and  hasty  as  they  are,  it  can  be  read  there."  Jas- 
min might  have  used  the  same  words.  "  With  all  my 
faults,"  he  said,  *'  I  desired  to  write  the  truth,  and  I  have 
described  it  as  I  saw  it."  In  his  "Recollections"  he 
showed  without  reserve  his  whole  heart. 

Jasmin  dedicated  his  "  Recollections,"  when  finished,  to 
M.  Florimond  de  Saint-Amand,  one  of  the  first  gentlemen 
who  recognized  his  poetical  talents.  This  was  unques- 
tionably the  first  poem  in  which  Jasmin  exhibited  the 

*  The  following  are  the  lines  in  Gascon : 

"Atai  boudroy  dan  bous  fiiii  ma  triple  puoiizo; 
Mais  anfin,  by  cantat,  n'hazardi  pas  gran  caouzo; 
Quand  Pej^azo  reguinno,  et  que  d'un  cot  de  p6 

M'einb6}'0  friza  mas  marotos, 
Perdi  moun  ten,  hs  bray,  mais  noun  pas  moun  pap6 ; 

B6ti  mous  b6rs  en  paplllotos!" 


60  Jasmin, 

true  bent  of  his  genius.  He  avoided  entirely  the  French 
models,  which  he  had  before  endeavored  to  imitate;  and 
he  now  gave  full  flight  to  the  artless  gayety  and  humor 
of  his  Gascon  muse.  It  is  unfortunate  that  the  poem 
cannot  be  translated  into  English.  It  was  translated  into 
French,  but  even  in  that  kindred  language  it  lost  much 
of  its  beauty  and  pathos.  The  more  exquisite  the  poetry 
that  is  contained  in  one  language,  the  more  difficulty 
there  is  in  translating  it  into  another. 

M.  Charles  Nodier  said  of  "  Lou  Tres  de  May  "  that  it 
contains  poetic  thoughts  conveyed  in  exquisite  words ; 
but  it  is  impossible  to  render  it  into  any  language  but  its 
own.  In  the  case  of  the  "  Charivari "  he  shrinks  from  at- 
tempting to  translate  it.  There  is  one  passage  contain- 
ing a  superb  description  of  the  rising  of  the  sun  in  win- 
ter, but  two  of  the  lines  quite  puzzled  him.  In  Gascon 
they  arc : 

"  Quand  I'Anroro,  fourrado  en  raoubo  do  sati, 
Desparrouillo,  sau  brut,  las  portos  del  mati." 

Some  of  the  words  translated  into  French  might  seem 
vulgar,  though  in  Gascon  they  are  beautiful.  In  English 
they  might  be  rendered  : 

"When  Aurora,  enfiirred  in  her  robe  of  satin, 
Unbars,  without  noise,  the  doors  of  the  morning." 

"Dream,  if  you  like,"  says  Nodier,  "of  the  Aurora  of 
winter,  and  tell  me  if  Homer  could  have  better  robed  it 
in  words.  The  Aurora  of  Jasmin  is  quite  his  own  ;  '  un- 
bars the  doors  of  the  morning;'  it  is  done  without  noise, 
like  a  goddess,  patient  and  silent,  who  announces  herself 
to  mortals  only  by  her  brightness  of  light.    It  is  this 


*^  Mes  Souvenirs,'''^  61 

finished  felicity  of  expression  which  distinguishes  great 
writers.     The  vulgar  cannot  accomplish  it." 

Again  Nodier  says  of  the  "  Recollections :"  "  They  are 
an  ingenuous  marvel  of  gayety,  sensibility,  and  passion.  I 
use,"  he  says,  "  this  expression  of  enthusiasm,  and  I  re- 
gret that  I  cannot  be  more  lavish  in  my  praises.  There 
is  almost  nothing  in  modern  literature,  and  scarcely  any- 
thing in  ancient,  which  has  moved  me  more  profound- 
ly than  the  'Souvenirs'  of  Jasmin.  Happy  and  lovely 
children  of  Guienne  and  Langucdoc,  read  and  reread  the 
'Souvenirs'  of  Jasmin;  they  will  give  you  painful  recol- 
lections of  public  schools,  and  perhaps  give  you  hope  of 
better  things  to  come.  You  will  learn  by  heart  what  you 
will  never  forget.  You  will  know  from  this  poetry  all 
that  you  ought  to  treasure." 

Jasmin  added  several  other  poems  to  his  collection  be- 
fore his  second  volume  appeared  in  1835.  Among  these 
were  his  lines  on  the  Polish  nation — "  Aux  debris  de  la 
Nation  Polonaise,"  and  "  Les  Oiseaux  Voyageurs,  on  Les 
Polonais  en  France" — both  written  in  Gascon.  Saint- 
Beuve  thinks  the  latter  one  of  Jasmin's  best  works.  "  It 
is  full  of  pathos,"  he  says,  "and  rises  to  the  sublime 
through  its  very  simplicity.  It  is  indeed  difficult  to  ex- 
aggerate the  poetic  instinct  and  the  unaffected  artlessness 
of  this  amiable  bard.  At  the  same  time,"  he  said,  "Jas- 
min still  wanted  the  fire  of  passion  to  reach  the  noblest 
poetic  work.  Yet  he  had  the  art  of  style.  If  Agen  was 
renowned  as  '  the  eye  of  Guienne,'  Jasmin  was  certainly 
the  greatest  poet  who  had  ever  written  in  the  pure  patois 
of  Agen." 

Sainte-Beuve  also  said  of  Jasmin  that  he  was  "  invari- 
ably sober."  And  Jasmin  said  of  himself,  "  I  have  learned 
that  in  moments  of  heat  and  emotion  we  are  all  eloquent 
and  laconic,  alike  in  speech  and  action  —  unconscious 


62  Jasmin, 

poets,  in  fact ;  and  I  have  also  learned  that  it  is  possible 
for  a  muse  to  become  all  this  willingly  and  by  dint  of 
patient  toil." 

Another  of  his  supplementary  poems  consisted  of  a 
dialogue  between  Ramoun,  a  soldier  of  the  Old  Guard, 
and  Mathiou,  a  peasant.  It  is  of  a  political  cast,  and 
Jasmin  did  not  shine  in  politics.  He  was,  however,  al- 
ways a  patriot,  whether  under  the  Empire,  the  Monarchy, 
or  the  Republic.  He  loved  France  above  all  things, 
while  he  entertained  the  warmest  affection  for  his  native 
province.  If  Jasmin  had  published  his  volume  in  clas- 
sical French  he  might  have  been  lost  amid  a  crowd  of 
rhymers;  but  as  he  published  the  work  in  his  native  di- 
alect, he  became  forthwith  distinguished  in  his  neighbor- 
hood, and  was  ever  after  known  as  the  Gascon  poet. 

Nor  did  he  long  remain  unknown  beyond  the  district 
in  which  he  lived.  AVhen  his  second  volume  appeared 
in  1835,  with  a  preface  by  M.  Baze,  an  advocate  of  the 
Royal  Court  of  Agen,  it  created  considerable  excitement, 
not  only  at  Bordeaux  and  Toulouse,  but  also  at  Paris, 
the  centre  of  the  literature,  science,  and  fine  arts  of 
France.  There  men  of  the  highest  distinction  wel- 
comed the  work  with  enthusiasm. 

M.  Baze,  in  his  preface,  was  very  eulogistic.  "  We 
have  the  pleasure,"  he  said,  "  of  seeing  united  in  one  col- 
lection the  sweet  Romanic  tongue  which  the  South  of 
France  has  adopted,  like  the  privileged  children  of  her 
lovely  sky  and  voluptuous  climate,  and  her  lyrical  songs, 
whose  masculine  vigor  and  energetic  sentiments  have 
more  than  once  excited  patriotic  transports  and  awakened 
popular  enthusiasm.  For  Jasmin  is  above  all  a  poet  of 
the  people.  He  is  not  ashamed  of  his  origin.  He  was 
born  in  the  midst  of  them,  and,  though  a  poet,  still  be- 
longs to  them.     For  genius  is  of  all  stations  and  ranks 


^^  Mes  Souvenirs^  63 

of  life,  lie  is  but  a  hair-dresser  at  Agen,  and,  more  than 
that,  he  wishes  to  remain  so.  Ilis  ambition  is  to  unite 
the  razor  to  tlie  poet's  pen." 

At  Paris  the  work  was  welcomed  witli  applause,  first 
by  his  poetic  sponsor,  Ciiarles  Nodier,  in  the  Temps^ 
where  he  coni^ratulatcd  Jasmin  on  usini^  the  Gascon  pat- 
ois, though  still  under  the  ban  of  literature.  "  It  is  a  ver- 
itable Saint  BartholoFiiew  of  innocent  and  beautiful  idi- 
oms, which  can  scarcely  be  employed  even  in  the  hours 
of  recreation."  lie  pronounced  Jasmin  to  be  a  Gascon 
Beranger,  and  quoted  several  of  his  linos  from  the  "Cha- 
rivari," but  apologized  for  their  translation  into  French, 
fearing  that  they  might  lose  much  of  their  rustic  artless- 
ness  and  soft  harmony. 

What  was  a  still  greater  honor,  Jasmin  was  reviewed 
by  the  first  critic  of  France — Sainte-Beuve — in  the>  lead- 
ing critical  journal,  the  Revue  des  deux  Mondes.  The 
article  was  afterwards  republished  in  his  Contemporary 
Portraits*  He  there  gives  a  general  account  of  his 
poems;  compares  him  with  the  English  and  Scotch  poets 
of  the  working-class,  and  contrasts  him  with  Reboul,  the 
baker  of  Nimes,  who  writes  in  classical  French,  after  the 
manner  of  the  Meditations  of  Lamar  tine.  He  proceeds 
to  give  a  brief  account  of  Jasmin's  life,  taken  from  the 
"  Souvenirs,"  which  he  regards  as  a  beautiful  work,  written 
with  much  artlessness  and  simplicity. 

Various  other  reviews  of  Jasmin's  poems  appeared,  in 
Agen,  Bordeaux,  Toulouse,  and  Paris,  by  men  of  literary 
mark — by  Leonce  de  Lavergne,  and  De  Mazudc  in  Revue 
des  deux  Mondes — by  Charles  Labitte,  M.  Ducuing,  and 
M.  de  Pontmartin.     The  latter  classed  Jasmin  with  The- 


*  Portraits  Contemporains,  u.  60.     Par  C.  A.  Sainte-Beuve,  Mem- 
bre  de  rAcad6mic  Fran^nise.     1847. 


64  Jasmin. 

ocritus,  Horace,  and  Lafontaine,  and  paid  liim  the  sin- 
gular tribute,  "that  he  had  made  Goodness  as  attractive 
as  other  French  writers  had  made  Badness."  Such  crit- 
icisms as  these  made  Jasmin  popular,  not  only  in  his  own 
district,  but  throughout  France. 

We  cannot  withhold  the  interesting  statement  of  Paul 
de  Musset  as  to  his  interview  with  Jasmin  in  1836,  after 
the  publication  of  his  second  volume  of  poems.  Paul 
de  Musset  was  the  author  of  several  nov'els,  as  well  as  of 
Lui  et  Elle,  apropos  of  his  brother's  connection  with 
George  Sand.  Paul  de  Musset  thus  describes  his  visit 
to  the  poet  at  Agen  :* 

"Let  no  one  return  northward  by  the  direct  road  from 
Toulouse.  Nothing  can  be  more  dreary  than  the  Lot, 
the  Limousin,  and  the  interminable  Dordogne ;  but  make 
for  Bordeaux  by  the  plains  of  Gascony,  and  do  not  for- 
get the  steamboat  from  Marmande.  You  will  then  find 
yourself  on  the  Garonne,  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  coun- 
try where  the  air  is  vigorous  and  healthy.  The  roads 
are  bordered  with  vines  arranged  in  arches,  lovely  to  the 
eyes  of  travellers.  The  poets,  who  delight  in  making 
the  union  of  the  vine  with  the  trees  which  support  it  an 
emblem  of  marriage,  can  verify  their  comparisons  only 
in  Gascony  or  Italy.  It  is  usually  pear-trees  that  are 
used  to  support  them.  .  .  . 

"Thanks  to  M.  Charles  Nodier,  who  had  discovered  a 
man  of  modest  talent  buried  in  this  province,  I  knew  a 
little  of  the  verses  of  the  Gascon  poet  Jasmin.  Early 
one  morning,  at  about  seven,  the  diligence  stopped  in  the 
middle  of  a  Place,  where  I  read  this  inscription  over  a 
shop-door,  '  Jasmin,  Coiffeur  des  Jeunes  Gens.'    We  were 

*  " Perpignan,  I'Ari^ge  et  le  pofete  Jasmin"  {Journal politique  et 

litleraire  de  Lot-et-  Garonne). 


Paul  de  Miisset.  66 

at  Agcn.  I  descended,  swallowed  iny  cup  of  coffee  as 
fast  as  I  could,  and  entered  the  shop  of  the  most  lettered 
of  peruke-makers.  On  a  table  was  a  mass  of  pamphlets 
and  some  of  the  journals  of  the  South. 

"  '  Monsieur  Jasmin  ?'  said  T,  on  entering.  '  Here  I  am, 
sir,  at  your  service,'  replied  a  handsome,  brown-haired  fel- 
low, with  a  cheerful  expression,  who  seemed  to  me  about 
thirty  years  of  age. 

"  '  Will  you  shave  me?'  I  asked.  *  Willingly,  sir,'  he 
replied.  I  sat  down  and  we  entered  into  conversation. 
*I  have  read  your  verses,  sir,'  said  I,  while  he  was  cover- 
ing my  chin  with  lather.  '  Monsieur  then  comprehends 
the  patois  V  '  A  little,'  I  said  ;  *  one  of  my  friends  has 
explained  to  me  the  difficult  passages.  But  tell  me,  Mon- 
sieur Jasmin,  why  is  it  that  you,  who  appear  to  know 
French  perfectly,  write  in  a  language  that  is  not  spoken 
in  any  chief  town  or  capital?' 

*"Ah,  sir,  how  could  a  poor  rhymer  like  me  appear 
among  the  great  celebrities  of  Paris?  I  have  sold  eigh- 
teen hundred  copies  of  my  little  pieces  of  poetry  (in  a 
pamphlet  form),  and  certainly  all  who  speak  Gascon  know 
them  well.  Remember  that  there  are  at  least  six  millions 
of  people  in  Languedoc' 

"  My  mouth  was  covered  with  soapsuds  and  I  could 
not  answer  him  for  some  time.  Then  I  said,  *  But  a 
liundrcd  thousand  persons  at  most  know  how  to  read, 
and  twenty  thousand  of  them  can  scarcely  be  able  to  en- 
joy your  works.' 

"  *  Well,  sir,  I  am  content  with  that  amount.  Perhaps 
you  have  at  Paris  more  than  one  writer  who  possesses 
his  twenty  thousand  readers.  My  little  reputation  would 
soon  carry  me  astray  if  I  ventured  to  address  all  Europe. 
The  voice  that  appears  sonorous  in  a  little  place  is  not 
heard  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  plain.     And  then  my  read- 


66  Jasmin. 

ers  arc  confined  within  a  radius  of  forty  leagues,  and  the 
result  is  of  real  advantage  to  an  author.' 

"  'Ah  !  And  why  do  you  not  abandon  your  razor?'  I 
inquired  of  this  singular  poet.  '  What  would  you  have  V 
he  said.  '  The  Muses  are  most  capricious ;  to-day  they 
give  gold,  to-morrow,  they  refuse  bread.  The  razor  se- 
cures me  soup,  and  perhaps  a  bottle  of  Bordeaux.  Be- 
sides, my  salon  is  a  little  literary  circle,  where  all  the 
young  people  of  the  town  assemble.  When  I  come  from 
one  of  the  academies  of  which  I  am  a  member  I  find  my- 
self among  the  tools  which  I  can  manage  better  than  my 
pen  ;  and  most  of  the  members  of  the,  circle  usually  pass 
through  my  hands.' 

"  It  is  a  fact  that  M.  Jasmin  shaves  more  skilfully 
than  any  other  poet.  After  a  long  conversation  with 
this  simple-minded  man  I  experienced  a  certain  confu- 
sion in  depositing  upon  his  table  the  amount  of  fifty 
centimes,  which  I  owed  him  on  this  occasion  more  for 
his  talent  than  for  his  razor;  and  I  remounted  the  dili- 
gence more  than  charmed  with  the  modesty  of  his  char- 
acter and  demeanor," 


"  The  Blind  Girl  of  Castel-Cuille:'         67 


CHAPTER  VII. 
"THE  BLIND  GIRL  OF  CASTEL-CUILLE." 

Jasmin  was  now  thirty-six  years  old.  He  was  virtually 
in  the  prime  of  life.  He  had  been  dreaming,  he  had 
been  thinking,  for  many  years,  of  composing  some  poems 
of  a  higher  order  than  his  "  Souvenirs."  lie  desired  to 
embody  in  his  work  some  romantic  tales  in  verse,  founded 
upon  local  legends,  noble  in  conception,  elaborated  with 
care,  and  impressive  by  the  dignity  of  simple,  natural 
passion. 

In  these  new  lyrical  poems  his  intention  was  to  aim 
high,  and  he  succeeded  to  a  marvellous  extent.  He  was 
enabled  to  show  the  depth  and  strength  of  his  dramatic 
powers,  his  fidelity  in  the  description  of  romantic  and 
picturesque  incidents,  his  shrewdness  in  reading  character 
and  his  skill  in  representing  it — all  of  which  he  did  in 
perfect  innocence  of  all  established  canons  in  the  com- 
position of  dramatic  poetry. 

The  first  of  Jasmin's  poetical  legends  was  "The  Blind 
Girl  of  Castel-Cuillo  "  (Ij  Abuglo),  It  was  translated  into 
English,  a  few  years  after  its  appearance,  by  Lady  Geor- 
giana  Fullerton,  daughter  of  the  British  ambassador  at 
Paris,*  and  afterwards  by  Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow, 


♦  The  translation  appeared  in  Bentley's  Miscellany  for  March, 
1840.  It  was  published  for  a  charitable  purpose.  Mrs.  Craven,  in 
her  Life  of  Lady  Georgiana  Fnllerlon^  says :  "  It  was  put  in  at 
once,  and  its  two  hundred  and  seventy  lines  brought  to  the  author 


68  Jasmin. 

the  American  poet.  Longfellow  follows  the  rhythm  of 
the  original,  and  on  the  whole  his  translation  of  the  poem 
is  more  correct,  so  that  his  version  is  to  be  preferred. 
He  begins  his  version  with  these  words : 

''  Only  the  Lowland  tongne  of  Scotland  might 
Eeliearse  tliis  little  tragedy  aright ; 
Let  me  attempt  it  with  an  English  quill, 
And  takej  O  reader,  for  the  deed  the  will." 

At  the  end  of  his  translation  Longfellow  adds:  "Jas- 
min, the  author  of  this  beautiful  poem,  is  to  the  South 
of  France  what  Burns  is  to  the  South  of  Scotland : 
the  representative  of  the  heart  of  the  people — one  of 
those  happy  bards  who  are  born  with  their  mouths  full 
of  birds  {la  bouco  pleno  d'auuvelous).  He  has  written 
his  own  biography  in  a  poetic  form,  and  the  simple  nar- 
rative of  his  poverty,  his  struggles,  and  his  triumphs,  is 
very  touching.  He  still  lives  at  Agen,  on  the  Garonne, 
and  long  may  he  live  there  to  delight  his  native  land 
with  native  songs !"  It  is  unnecessary  to  quote  the 
poem,  which  is  so  well  known  by  the  numerous  readers 
of  Longfellovv's  poems,  but  a  compressed  narrative  of  the 
story  may  be  given. 

The  legend  is  founded  on  a  popular  tradition.  Castel- 
Cuille  stands  upon  a  bluff  rock  in  the  pretty  valley  of 
Saint-Amans,  about  a  league  from  Agen.  The  castle  was 
of  considerable  importance  many  centuries  ago,  while  the 
English  occupied  Guienne;  but  is  now  in  ruins,  though 
the  village  near  it  still  exists.  In  a  cottage,  at  the  foot 
of  the  rock,  lived  the  girl  Marguerite,  a  soldier's  daughter, 

twelve  guineas  on  the  day  on  which  it  appeared.  Lady  Fullerton 
was  surprised  and  delighted.  All  her  long  years  of  success,  differ- 
ent indeed  in  degree,  never  effaced  the  memory  of  the  joy." 


"2%e  Blind  Girl  of  Castel-Cuille:''  69 

with  her  brother  Paul.  The  girl  had  been  betrothed  to 
her  lover  Baptiste;  but  during  his  absence  she  was  at- 
tacked by  virulent  small  -  pox  and  lost  her  eyesight. 
Though  her  beauty  had  disappeared,  her  love  remained. 
She  waited  long  for  her  beloved  Baptiste,  but  he  never 
returned.  He  forsook  his  betrothed  Marguerite,  and 
plighted  his  troth  to  the  fairer  and  richer  Angele.  It 
was,  after  all,  only  the  old  story. 

Marguerite  heard  at  night  the  song  of  their  espousals 
on  the  eve  of  the  marriage.  She  was  in  despair,  but 
suppressed  her  grief.  Wednesday  morning  arrived,  the 
eve  of  St.  Joseph.  The  bridal  procession  passed  along 
the  village  towards  the  church  of  Saint-Amans,  singing 
the  bridal  song.  The  fair  and  fertile  valley  was  be- 
decked with  the  blossoms  of  the  apple,  the  plum,  and  the 
almond,  which  whitened  the  country  round.  Nothing 
could  have  seemed  more  propitious.  Then  came  the 
chorus,  which  was  no  invention  of  the  poet,  but  a  refrain 
always  sung  at  rustic  weddings,  in  accordance  with  the 
custom  of  strewing  the  bridal-path  with  flowers: 

"  Tho  paths  with  buds  and  blossoms  sticw, 
A  lovely  brido  approaches  nigh; 
For  all  should  bloom  and  spring  anew, 
A  lovely  bride  is  passing  by !"  * 

Under  the  blue  sky  and  brilliant  sunshine  the  joyous 
young  people  frisked  along.  The  picture  of  youth, 
gayety,  and  beauty  is  full  of  truth  and  nature.    The  bride 


*  The  refrain,  in  the  original  Gascon,  is  as  follows : 

"L4s  carrferos  dlouyon  flouri, 
Tan  bfelo  nobio  bay  soiirti ; 
Diouyon  flouri,  diouyon  *;raua, 
Tan  belo  nobio  buy  passa!" 


VO  Jasmin. 

herself  takes  part  in  the  frolic.  With  roguish  eyes  she 
escapes  and  cries :  "  Those  who  catch  me  will  be  married 
this  year!"  And  then  they  descend  the  hill  towards  the 
church  of  Saint -Amans.  Baptiste,  the  bridegroom,  is 
out  of  spirits  and  mute.  He  takes  no  part  in  the  sports 
of  the  bridal-party.  He  remembers  with  grief  the  blind 
girl  he  has  abandoned. 

In  the  cottage  under  the  cliff  Marguerite  meditates  a 
tragedy.  She  dresses  herself,  and  resolves  to  attend  the 
wedding  at  Saint-Amans  with  her  little  brother.  While 
dressing  she  slips  a  knife  into  her  bosom,  and  then  they 
start  for  the  church.  The  bridal-party  soon  arrived,  and 
Marguerite  heard  their  entrance. 

The  ceremony  proceeded.  Mass  was  said.  The  wed- 
ding-ring was  blessed;  and  as  Baptiste  placed  it  on  the 
bride's  finger  he  said  the  accustomed  words.  In  a  mo- 
ment a  voice  cried  :  "  It  is  he  !  It  is  he !"  and  Marguerite 
rushed  through  the  bridal -party  towards  him  with  a 
knife  in  her  hand  to  stab  herself;  but  before  she  could 
reach  the  bridegroom  she  fell  down  dead  —  broken- 
hearted !  The  crime  which  she  had  intended  to  commit 
against  herself  was  thus  prevented. 

In  the  evening,  in  place  of  a  bridal  song,  the  "De  Pro- 
fundis"  was  chanted,  and  now  each  one  seemed  to  say : 

"  The  roads  shall  mourn,  and,  veiled  in  gloom, 
So  fair  a  corpse  shall  leave  its  home! 
Should  mourn  and  weep,  ah,  well-away. 
So  fair  a  corpse  shall  pass  to-day !"  * 


*  In  Gascon  : 


Las  carreros  dionyon  gemi, 
Tan  belo  morto  bay  sourti! 
Diouyon  gemi,  diouyon  ploura, 
Tan  bclo  morto  bay  passa !" 


''The  Blind  Girl  of  Castel-Cuilley  Tl 

This  poem  was  finished  in  Angust,  1835;  and  on  the 
26th  of  the  same  month  it  was  publicly  recited  by  Jasmin 
at  Bordeaux,  at  the  request  of  the  Academy  of  that  city. 

There  was  great  beauty,  tenderness,  and  pathos  in  the 
poem.  It  was  perfectly  simple  and  natural.  The  poem 
might  form  the  subject  of  a  drama  or  a  musical  cantata. 
The  lamentations  of  Marguerite  on  her  blindness  remind 
one  of  Milton's  heart-rending  words  on  the  same  subject: 

"  For  others,  day  and  joy  and  light, 
For  me,  all  darkness,  always  night."* 

Sainte-Beuve,  in  criticising  Jasmin's  poems,  says  that 
"It  was  in  1835  that  his  talent  raised  itself  to  the  emi- 
nence of  writing  one  of  his  purest  compositions — nat- 
ural, touching,  and  disinterested  —  his  'Blind  Girl  of 
Castel-Cuillo,'  in  which  he  makes  us  assist  in  a  fete, 
amid  the  joys  of  the  villagers;  and  at  the  grief  of  a 
young  girl,  a  fiancee  whom  a  severe  attack  of  small-pox 
had  deprived  of  her  eyesight,  and  whom  her  betrothed 
lover  had  abandoned  to  marry  another. 

"The  grief  of  the  poor  abandoned  girl,  her  changes 
of  color,  her  attitude,  her  conversation,  her  projects — the 
whole  surrounded  by  the  freshness  of  spring  and  the 
laughing  brightness  of  the  season — exhibits  a  character 
of  nature  and  of  truth  which  very  few  poets  have  been 
able  to  attain.  One  is  quite  surprised,  on  reading  this 
simple  picture,  to  be  involuntarily  carried  back  to  the 
most  expressive  poems  of  the  ancient  Greeks— to  Theoc- 
ritus, for  example — for  the  Marguerite  of  Jasmin  may  be 

*  In  Gascon  : 

"  Jour  per  aoutres,  toutjour  I  et  per  jou,  raalhurouzo, 
Toutjour  n6y,  toutjour  n5y ! 
Que  fay  negre  16n  d'el !     Oh !  quo  raoun  amo  h&  tristo !" 


12  Jasmin. 

compared  with  the  Simetha  of  the  Greek  poet.  This  is 
true  poetry,  rich  from  the  same  sources,  and  gilded  witli 
the  same  imagery.  In  his  new  compositions  Jasmin  lias 
followed  his  own  bias;  this  man,  who  had  few  books, 
but  meditated  deeply  in  his  heart  and  his  love  of  nature  ; 
and  he  followed  the  way  of  true  art  with  secret  and  per- 
severing labor  in  what  appeared  to  him  the  most  elo- 
quent, easy,  and  happy  manner.  .  .  . 

"His  language,"  Sainte-Beuve  continues,  "is  always 
the  most  natural,  faithful,  transparent,  truthful,  eloquent, 
and  sober ;  never  forget  this  last  characteristic,  lie  is 
never  more  happy  than  when  he  finds  that  he  can  bor- 
row from  an  artisan  or  laborer  one  of  those  words  which 
arc  worth  ten  of  others.  It  is  thus  that  his  genius  has 
refined  during  the  years  preceding  the  time  in  which  he 
produced  his  greatest  works.  It  is  thus  that  he  has  be- 
come the  poet  of  the  people,  writing  in  the  popular 
patois,  and  for  public  solemnities,  which  remind  one  of 
those  of  the  Middle  Ages  and  of  Greece;  thus  lie  finds 
himself  to  be,  in  short,  more  than  any  of  our  contempo- 
raries, of  the  School  of  Horace,  of  Theocritus,  or  of  Gray, 
and  all  the  brilliant  geniuses  who  have  endeavored  by 
study  to  bring  each  of  their  works  to  perfection."* 

"  The  Blind  Girl  "  was  the  most  remarkable  work  that 
Jasmin  liad  up  to  this  time  composed.  There  is  no 
country  where  an  author  is  so  popular,  when  he  is  once 
known,  as  in  France.  When  Jasmin's  poem  was  pub- 
lished he  became,  by  universal  consent,  the  Poet-laureate 
of  the  South.  Yet  some  of  the  local  journals  of  Bor- 
deaux made  light  of  his  appearance  in  that  city  for  the 
purpose  of  reciting  his  as  yet  unknown  poem.      "That  a 

*  Saint-Beuve:  Caiiseries  dn  Lnndi,  iv.  240-41  (edition  1852), 
and  Foi-t7'aits  Contemporaim,  ii.  61  (edition  184'7). 


''The  Blind  Girl  of  CasteC- Cuilley  73 

barber  and  hair-dresser  of  Agen,"  they  said,  "  speaking 
and  writing  in  a  vulgar  tongue,  should  attempt  to  amuse 
or  enlighten  the  intelligent  people  of  Bordeaux,  seemed 
to  them  beneath  contempt." 

But  Jasmin  soon  showed  them  that  genius  is  of  no 
rank  or  condition  of  life,  and  their  views  shortly  under- 
went a  sudden  change.  His  very  appearance  in  the  city 
was  a  triumph.  Crowds  resorted  to  the  large  hall,  in 
which  he  was  to  recite  his  new  poem,  "  The  Blind  Girl 
of  Castel-Cuille."  The  prefect,  the  mayor,  the  members 
of  the  Academy,  and  the  most  cultivated  people  of  the 
city  were  present,  and  received  him  with  applause. 

There  might  have  been  some  misgivings  as  to  fhe  suc- 
cess of  the  poem,  but  from  the  moment  that  he  appeared 
on  the  platform  and  began  his  recitation  every  doubt 
disappeared.  He  read  the  poem  with  marvellous  elo- 
quence; while  his  artistic  figure,  his  mobile  countenance, 
liis  dark-brown  eyebrows,  which  be  raised  or  lowered  at 
will,  his  expressive  gesticulation,  and  his  passionate  act- 
ing, added  greatly  to  the  effect  of  his  recital,  and  soon 
won  every  heart     When  he  came  to  the  refrain, 

"The  paths  witli  buds  and  blossoms  strew,^ 

he  no  longer  declaimed,  but  sang  after  the  manner  of  the 
peasants  in  their  popular  chant.  His  eyes  became  suf- 
fused with  tears,  and  those  who  listened  to  the  patois, 
even  though  they  only  imperfectly  understood  it,  partook 
of  the  impression,  and  wept  also. 

He  was  alike  tender  and  impressive  throughout  the 
piece,  especially  at  the  death  of  the  blind  girl ;  and  when 
be  had  ended,  a  storm  of  applause  burst  from  the  audi- 
ence. There  was  a  clapping  of  hands  and  a  thunderous 
stamping  of  feet  that  shook  the  building  almost  to  its 
foundations. 

4 


V4  Jasmin. 

It  was  a  remarkable  spectacle  that  a  humble  working- 
man,  comparatively  uneducated,  should  have  evoked  the 
tumultuous  applause  of  a  brilliant  assembly  of  intelligent 
ladies  and  gentlemen.  It  was  indeed  something  extraor- 
dinary. Some  said  that  he  declaimed  like  Talma  or  Ra- 
chel, nor  was  there  any  note  of  dissonance  in  his  recep- 
tion. The  enthusiasm  was  general  and  unanimous  among 
the  magistrates,  clergy,  scientific  men,  artists,  physicians, 
ship-owners,  men  of  business,  and  working-people.  They 
all  joined  in  the  applause  when  Jasmin  had  concluded 
his  recitation. 

From  this  time  forward  Jasmin  was  one  of  the  most 
popular  men  at  Bordeaux.  He  was  entertained  at  a  se- 
ries of  fetes.  He  was  invited  to  soirees  by  the  prefect, 
by  the  archbishop,  by  the  various  social  circles,  as  well 
as  by  the  workmen's  associations.  Tliey  vied  with  each 
other  for  the  honor  of  entertaining  him.  He  went  from 
matinees  to  soirees,  and  in  ten  days  he  appeared  at  thir- 
ty-four entertainments. 

At  length  he  became  thoroughly  tired  and  exhausted 
by  this  enormous  feteing.  He  longed  to  be  away  and 
at  home  with  his  wife  and  children.  He  took  leave  of 
his  friends  and  admirers  with  emotion,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  praises  and  acclamations  he  had  received  at 
Bordeaux,  he  quietly  turned  to  pursue  his  humble  occu- 
pation at  Agen. 

It  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  things  about  Jas- 
min that  he  was  never  carried  off  his  feet  by  the  brilliant 
ovations  he  received.  Though  enough  to  turn  any  poor 
fellow's  head,  he  remained  simple  and  natural  to  the  last. 
As  they  say  in  England,  he  could  "carry  corn."  We 
have  said  that  "Gascon"  is  often  used  in  connection 
with  boasting  or  gasconading.  But  the  term  was  in  no 
way  applicable  to  Jasmin.     He  left  the  echo  of  praises 


"7%e  Blind  Girl  of  Castle- CuilU:''  16 

behind  him,  and  returned  to  Agen  to  enjoy  the  comforts 
of  liis  fireside. 

He  was  not,  however,  witliout  tempters  to  wean  him 
from  his  home  and  his  ordinary  pursuits.  In  1836,  the 
year  after  his  triumphal  reception  at  Bordeaux,  some  of 
his  friends  urged  him  to  go  to  Paris — the  centre  of  liglit 
and  leading — in  order  to  "  make  his  fortune."  But  no, 
he  had  never  contemplated  the  idea  of  leaving  his  native 
town.  A  rich  wine -merchant  of  Toulouse  was  one  of 
his  tempters.  He  advised  Jasmin  to  go  to  the  great  me- 
tropolis, where  genius  alone  was  recognized.  Jasmin 
answered  him  in  a  charming  letter,  setting  forth  the  rea- 
sons which  determined  him  to  remain  at  home,  princi- 
pally because  his  tastes  were  modest  and  his  desires  were 
homely. 

"You,  too,"  he  said,  ''  without  regard  to  troubling  my 
days  and  my  nights,  have  written  to  ask  me  to  carry  my 
guitar  and  my  dressing-comb  to  the  great  city  of  kings, 
because  there,  you  say,  my  poetical  humor  and  my  well- 
known  verses  will  bring  torrents  of  crowns  to  ray  purse. 
Oh,  you  may  well  boast  to  me  of  this  shower  of  gold 
and  its  clinking  stream.  You  only  make  me  cry,  '  Honor 
is  but  smoke,  glory  is  but  glory,  and  money  is  only 
money !'  I  ask  you,  in  no  craven  spirit,  is  money  the 
only  thing  for  a  man  to  seek  who  feels  in  his  heart  the 
least  spark  of  poetry  ?  In  my  town,  where  every  one 
works,  leave  me  as  I  am.  Every  summer,  happic*  than 
a  king,  I  lay  up  my  small  provision  for  the  winter,  and 
then  I  sing  like  a  goldfinch  under  the  shade  of  a  poplar 
or  an  ash  tree,  only  too  happy  to  grow  gray  in  the  land 
which  gave  me  birth.  One  hears  in  summer  the  pleas- 
ant zigo^  ziou,  ziou,  of  the  nimble  grasshopper,  or  the 
young  sparrow  pluming  his  wings  to  make  himself  ready 
for  flight,  he  knows  not  whither;  but  the  wise  man  acts 


76  Jasmin. 

not  so.  I  remain  here  in  my  home.  Everything  suits 
me — earth,  sky,  air — all  that  is  necessary  for  my  com- 
fort. To  sing  of  joyous  poverty  one  must  be  joyful  and 
poor.  I  am  satisfied  with  my  rye-bread  and  the  cool 
water  from  my  fountain." 

Jasmin  remained  faithful  to  these  rules  of  conduct 
during  his  life.  Though  he  afterwards  made  a  visit  to 
Paris,  it  was  only  for  a  short  time  ;  but  his  native  town 
of  Agen,  his  home  on  the  Gravier,  his  shop,  his  wife  and 
his  children,  continued  to  be  his  little  paradise.  His 
Muse  soared  over  him  like  a  guardian  angel,  giving  him 
songs  for  his  happiness  and  consolation  for  his  sorrows. 
He  was,  above  all  things,  happy  in  his  wife.  She  cheered 
him,  strengthened  him,  and  consoled  him.  He  thus  por- 
trayed her  in  one  of  his  poems : 

"  Her  eyes  like  sparkling  stars  of  heavenly  blue ; 
Her  cheeks  so  sweet,,  so  round,  and  rosy ; 
Her  hair  so  bright,  and  brown,  and  curly ; 
Her  mouth  so  like  a  ripened  cherry; 
Her  teeth  more  brilliant  than  the  snow." 

Jasmin  was  attached  to  his  wife,  not  only  by  her  beau- 
ty, but  by  her  good  sense.  She  counselled  and  advised 
him  in  everything.  He  gave  himself  up  to  her  wise  ad- 
vice, and  never  had  occasion  to  regret  it.  It  was  with 
her  modest  marriage-portion  that  he  was  enabled  to  es- 
tablish himself  as  a  master  hair-dresser. 

When  he  opened  his  shop  he  set  over  the  entrance 
door  this  sign  :  "L'Art  embellit  La  Nature  ;  Jasmin,  Coif- 
feur des  Jeunes  Gens."  As  his  family  grew,  in  order  to 
increase  his  income,  he  added  the  words,  "  Coiffeur  des 
Dames."  This  proved  to  be  a  happy  addition  to  his 
business.  Most  of  the  ladies  of  Agen  strove  for  the 
honor  of  having  their  hair  dressed  by  the  poetical  bar- 


''The  Blind  Girl  of  Castel- Ciiille.''  11 

ber.  While  dressing  tbeir  hair  he  delighted  them  with 
his  songs.  lie  had  a  sympathetic  voice,  which  touched 
their  souls  and  threw  them  into  the  sweetest  of  dreams. 

Though  Jasmin  was  always  disposed  to  rhyme  a  little, 
his  wise  wife  never  allowed  him  to  forget  his  regular 
daily  work.  At  the  same  time  she  understood  that  his 
delicate  nature  could  not  be  entirely  absorbed  by  the  labors 
of  an  ordinary  workman.  She  was  no  longer  jealous  of 
his  solitary  communions  with  his  Muse;  and  after  his 
usual  hours  of  occupation,  she  left  him,  or  sat  by  him, 
to  enable  him  to  pursue  his  dear  reveries  in  quiet. 

Mai'iette,  or  Marie,  as  she  was  usually  called,  was  a 
thoroughly  good  partner  for  Jasmin.  Though  not  by 
any  means  a  highly  educated  woman,  she  felt  the  ele- 
vating effects  of  poetry  even  on  herself.  She  influenced 
her  husband's  mind  through  her  practical  wisdom  and 
good  sense,  while  he  in  his  turn  influenced  hers  by  ele- 
vating her  soul  and  intellect. 

Jasmin,  while  he  was  laboring  over  some  song  or  verse, 
found  it  necessary  to  recite  it  to  some  one  near  him,  but 
mostly  to  his  wife.  He  wandered  with  her  along  the 
banks  of  the  Garonne,  and  while  he  recited  she  listened 
with  bated  breath.  She  could  even  venture  to  correct 
him  ;  for  she  knew,  better  than  he  did,  the  ordinary  Gas- 
con dialect.  She  often  found  for  him  the  true  word  for 
the  picture  which  he  desired  to  present  to  his  reader. 
Though  Jasmin  was  always  thankful  for  her  help,  he  did 
not  abandon  his  own  words  without  some  little  conten- 
tion. He  had  worked  out  the  subject  in  his  mind,  and 
any  new  word  or  mode  of  description  might  interrupt 
the  beauty  of  the  verses.  When  he  at  length  recognized 
the  justice  of  her  criticism,  he  would  say,  "  Marie,  you 
are  right;  and  I  will  again  think  over  the  subject,  and 
make  it  fit  more  completely  into  the  Gascon  idiom."     In 


78  Jasmin. 

certain  cases  passages  were  suppressed;  in  others  they 
were  considerably  altered. 

When  Jasmin,  after  much  labor  and  correction,  had 
finished  his  poem,  he  would  call  about  him  his  intimate 
friends,  and  recite  the  poem  to  them.  He  had  no  objec- 
tion to  the  most  thorough  criticism,  by  his  wife  as  well 
as  by  his  friends.  When  the  poem  was  long  and  elab- 
orate, the  auditors  sometimes  began  to  yawn.  Then  the 
wife  stepped  in  and  said,  "Jasmin,  you  must  stop;  leave 
the  remainder  of  the  poem  for  another  day."  Thus  the 
recital  ceased  for  the  time. 

The  people  of  Agen  entertained  a  lively  sympathy  for 
their  poet.  Even  those  who  might  to  a  certain  extent 
depreciate  his  talent  did  every  justice  to  the  nobility  of 
his  character.  Perhaps  some  might  envy  the  position  of 
a  man  who  had  risen  from  the  ranks  and  secured  the  es- 
teem of  men  of  fortune  and  even  of  the  leaders  of  liter- 
ary opinion.  Jasmin,  like  every  person  envied  or  perhaps 
detracted,  had  his  hours  of  depression.  But  the  strong 
soul  of  his  wife  in  these  hours  came  to  his  relief,  <ind  as- 
suaged the  spirit  of  the  man  and  the  poet. 

Jasmin  was  at  one  time  on  the  point  of  abandoning 
verse-making.  Yet  he  was  encouraged  to  proceed  by  the 
demands  which  were  made  for  his  songs  and  verses.  In- 
deed, no  fete  was  considered  complete  without  the  recita- 
tions of  Jasmin.  It  was  no  doubt  very  flattering;  yet 
fame  has  its  drawbacks.  His  invitations  were  usually 
unceremonious. 

Jasmin  was  no  doubt  recognized  as  a  poet  and  an  ex- 
cellent reciter;  yet  he  was  a  person  who  handled  the 
razor  and  the  curling-tongs.  AVhen  he  was  invited  to  a 
local  party  it  was  merely  that  he  might  recite  his  verses 
gratuitously.  He  did  not  belong  to  their  social  circle, 
and  his  wife  was  not  included.     What  sympathy  could 


''The  Blind  Girl  of  Castd-Ciiille:'  79 

she  have  with  these  distinguished  personages  ?  At  length 
Jasmin  declined  to  go  where  his  wife  could  not  be  in- 
vited. He  preferred  to  stay  at  home  with  his  family, 
and  all  further  invitations  of  this  sort  were  declined. 

Besides,  his  friend  Nodier  had  warned  him  that  a  poet 
of  his  stamp  ought  not  to  appear  too  often  at  the  feasts 
of  the  lazy;  that  his  time  was  too  precious  for  that; 
that  a  poet  ought,  above  all,  not  to  occupy  himself  with 
politics,  for  by  so  doing  he  ran  the  risk  of  injuring  his 
talent. 

Some  of  his  local  critics,  not  having  comprehended  the 
inner  life  of  Jasmin,  compared  his  wife  to  the  gardener 
of  Boileau  and  the  maid-servant  of  Moliere.  But  the 
comparison  did  not  at  all  apply.  Jasmin  had  no  gar- 
dener nor  any  old  servant  or  house-keeper.  Jasmin  and 
Marie  were  quite  different.  They  lived  the  same  lives, 
and  were  all  in  all  to  each  other.  They  were  both  of 
the  people  ;  and  though  she  was  without  culture,  and 
had  not  shared  in  the  society  of  the  educated,  she  took 
every  interest  in  the  sentiments  and  the  prosperity  of 
her  admirable  husband. 

One  might  ask,  How  did  Jasmin  acquire  his  eloquence 
of  declamation — his  power  of  attracting  and  moving  as- 
semblies of  people  in  all  ranks  of  life?  It  was  the  result, 
no  doubt,  partly  of  the  gifts  with  which  the  Creator  had 
endowed  him,  and  partly  also  of  patience  and  persevering 
study.  He  liad  a  fine  voice,  and  he  managed  it  with  such 
art  that  it  became  like  a  perfectly  tuned  instrument  in 
the  hands  of  a  musician.  His  voice  was  powerful  and 
pathetic  by  turns,  and  he  possessed  great  sweetness  of  in- 
tonation— combined  with  sympathetic  feeling  and  special 
felicity  of  emphasis.  And  feeling  is  the  vitalizing  prin- 
ciple of  poetry.  Jasmin  occasionally  varied  his  readings 
by  singing  or  chanting  the  songs  which  occurred  in  cer- 


80  Jasmin, 

tain  parts  of  his  poems.  This,  together  with  his  elo- 
quence, gave  such  immense  vital  power  to  the  recitations 
of  the  Agenaise  bard. 

And  we  shall  find  from  the  next  chapter  that  Jasmin 
used  his  pathetic  eloquence  for  very  noble — one  might 
almost  say,  for  divine — purposes. 


Jasmin  as  Philanthropist.  81 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
JASMIN  AS  PHILANTHROPIST. 

It  is  now  necessary  to  consider  Jasmin  in  an  altogeth- 
er different  cliaracter — that  of  a  benefactor  of  his  species. 
Self-sacrifice  and  devotion  to  others,  forgetting  self  while 
spending  and  being  spent  for  the  good  of  one's  fellow- 
creatures,  exhibit  man  in  his  noblest  characteristics.  But 
who  would  have  expected  such  virtues  to  be  illustrated  by 
a  man  like  Jasmin,  sprung  from  the  humblest  condition 
of  life? 

Charity  may  be  regarded  as  a  universal  duty,  which  it 
is  in  every  person's  power  to  practise.  Every  kind  of 
help  given  to  another,  on  proper  motives,  is  an  act  of 
charity ;  and  there  is  scarcely  any  man  in  such  a  strait- 
ened condition  as  that  he  may  not,  on  certain  occasions, 
assist  his  neighbor.  The  widow  that  gives  her  mite  to 
the  treasury,  the  poor  man  that  brings  to  the  thirsty  a 
cup  of  cold  water,  perform  their  acts  of  charity,  though 
they  may  be  of  comparatively  little  moment.  Words- 
worth, in  a  poetic  gem,  described  the  virtue  of  charity  : 

'^  .  .  Man  is  dear  to  man ;  tUe  poorest  poor 
Long  for  some  moments  in  a  weary  life 
When  they  can  know  and  feel  that  they  have  been, 
Themselves,  the  fathers  and  the  dealers  out 
Of  some  small  blessings,  have  been  kind  to  such 
As  needed  kindness,  for  the  single  cause 
That  we  have  all  of  us  one  human  heart.*' 

4* 


82  Jasmin. 

This  maxim  of  Wordsworth's  truly  describes  the  life 
and  deeds  of  Jasmin.  It  may  be  said  that  he  was  first 
incited  to  exert  himself  on  behalf  of  charity  to  his  neigh- 
bors by  the  absence  of  any  Poor  Law  in  France  such  as 
they  have  in  England.  In  the  cases  of  drought,  when  the 
crops  did  not  ripen,  or  in  the  phylloxera  blights,  where  the 
grapes  were  ruined,  or  in  the  occasional  disastrous  floods, 
when  the  whole  of  the  agricultural  produce  was  swept 
away,  the  small  farmers  and  laborers  were  reduced  to 
great  distress.  The  French  peasant  is  usually  very  thrifty ; 
but  where  accumulated  savings  were  not  available  for  re- 
lief, the  result,  in  many  cases,  was  wide-spread  starvation. 

Jasmin  felt  that,  while  himself  living  in  the  midst  of 
blessings,  he  owed  a  duty,  on  such  occasions,  to  the  ex- 
treme necessities  of  his  neighbors.  The  afflicted,  could 
not  appeal  to  the  administrators  of  local  taxes;  all  that 
they  could  do  was  to  appeal  to  the  feelings  of  the  be- 
nevolent, and  rely  upon  local  charity.  He  believed  that 
the  extremely  poor  should  excite  our  liberality,  the  mis- 
erable our  pity,  the  sick  our  assistance,  the  ignorant  our 
instruction,  and  the  fallen  our  helping  hand. 

It  was  under  such  circumstances  that  Jasmin  consented 
to  recite  his  poems  for  the  relief  of  the  afflicted  poor. 
His  fame  had  increased  from  year  to  year.  His  songs 
were  sung  and  his  poems  were  read  all  over  the  South 
of  France.  When  it  was  known  that  he  was  willing  to 
recite  his  poems  for  charitable  purposes,  he  was  immedi- 
ately assailed  with  invitations  from  far  and  near. 

When  bread  fell  short  in  winter-time,  and  the  poor 
were  famished ;  when  a  hospital  for  the  needy  was  starv- 
ing for  want  of  funds  ;  when  a  creche  or  infants'  asylum 
had  to  be  founded ;  when  a  school  or  an  orphanage  had 
to  be  built  or  renovated,  and  money  began  to  fail,  an  ap- 
peal was  at  once  made  to  Jasmin's  charitable  feelings. 


Jmmin  as  PhilanthropisL  83 

It  was  not  tlien  usual  for  men  like  Jasmin  to  recite 
their  poems  in  public.  Those  who  possessed  his  works 
might  recite  them  for  their  own  pleasure.  But  no  one 
could  declaim  them  better  than  he  could,  and  bis  personal 
presence  was  therefore  indispensable. 

It  is  true  that  about  the  same  time  Mr.  Dickens  and 
Mr.  Thackeray  were  givini^  readings  from  their  works  in 
England  and  America.  Both  readers  were  equally  popu- 
lar; but  while  they  made  a  considerable  addition  to  their 
fortunes,*  Jasmin  realized  nothing  for  himself;  all  that 
was  collected  at  his  recitations  was  given  to  the  poor. 

Of  course,  Jasmin  was  received  with  enthusiasm  in 
those  towns  and  cities  which  he  visited  for  charitable 
purposes.  When  it  was  known  that  he  was  about  to 
give  one  of  his  poetical  recitals,  the  artisan  left  his  shop, 
the  blacksmith  his  smithy,  the  servant  her  household 
work,  and  the  mother  often  shut  up  her  house  and  went 
with  her  children  to  listen  to  the  marvellous  poet;  young 
girls  spread  flowers  before  his  path -way;  and  lovely 
women  tore  flowers  from  their  dresses  to  crown  their  be- 
loved minstrel  with  their  offerings. 

Since  his  appearance  at  Bordeaux,  in  1835,  when  he 
recited  his  "Blind  Girl"  for  a  charitable  purpose,  he  had 
been  invited  to  many  meetings  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Agen,  wherever  any  worthy  institution  had  to  be  erected 

*  Mr.  George  Dolby,  in  his  work,  Charles  Dickmn  as  I  Knew  Him, 
tells  "  the  story  of  the  famous  '  reading  tours,'  the  most  brilliantly 
successful  enterprises  that  were  ever  undertaken."  Chappell  &  Co. 
paid  him  £1500  for  thirty  readings  in  London  and  the  provinces, 
by  which  they  realized  £5000.  Arthur  Smith  and  Mr.  Headland 
were  his  next  managers,  and  finally  Mr.  George  Dolby.  The  latter 
says  that  Mr.  Dickens  computed  the  money  he  netted  under  the 
Smith  and  Headland  management  at  about  £12,000;  and  under 
Dolby's  management  "  he  cleared  nearly  £.33,000." 


84  Jasmin. 

or  assisted.  He  continued  to  write  occasional  verses, 
though  not  of  any  moment,  for  he  was  still  dreaming  of 
another  masterpiece. 

All  further  thoughts  of  poetical  composition  were, 
however,  dispelled,  by  the  threatened  famine  in  the  Lotet- 
Garonne.  In  the  winter  of  1837  bread  became  very 
dear  in  the  South  of  France.  The  poor  people  were  suf- 
fering greatly,  and  the  usual  appeal  was  made  to  Jasmin 
to  come  to  their  help.  A  concert  was  advertised  to  be 
given  at  Tonneins,  a  considerable  town  to  the  north-west 
of  Agen,  when  the  local  musicians  were  to  give  their  serv- 
ices, and  Jasmin  was  to  recite  a  poem. 

For  this  purpose  he  composed  his  "  Charity  "  (La  Cari- 
tat).  It  was  addressed  to  the  ladies  and  musicians  who 
assisted  at  the  entertainment.  "  Charity "  is  a  short 
lyrical  effusion,  not  so  much  a  finished  poem  as  the 
utterings  of  a  tender  heart.  Though  of  some  merit,  it 
looks  pale  beside  "  The  Blind  Girl."  But  his  choice  of 
the  subject  proved  a  forecast  of  the  noble  uses  which 
Jasmin  was  afterwards  enabled  to  make  of  his  poetical 
talents. 

Man,  he  said  in  his  verses,  is  truly  great  chiefly  through 
his  charity.  The  compassionate  man,  doing  his  works  of 
benevolence,  though  in  secret,  in  a  measure  resembles  the 
Divine  Author  of  his  beinor.  The  followins:  is  the  intro- 
ductory  passage  of  the  poem  : 

"As  wo  behold  at  sea  great  ships  of  voyagers 
Glide  o'er  the  waves  to  billows  white  with  spray, 
And  to  another  world  the  hardy  travellers  convey ; 
Just  as  bold  savants  travel  through  the  sky 
To  illustrate  the  world  which  they  espy, 
Men  without  ceasing  cry,  'How  great  is  man!' 
But  no!    Great  God!     How  infinitely  little  he! 
Has  he  a  genius  ?     'Tis  nothing  without  goodness ! 


Jasmin  as  Philanthropist.  85 

Without  some  grace,  no  grandeur  do  wo  rate. 
It  is  the  tender-hearted  who  show  chanty  iii  kindness. 
Unseen  of  men,  he  hides  his  gift  from  sight, 
lie  does  all  that  he  owes  in  silent  good. 
Like  the  jioor  widow's  mite: 
Yet  hoth  are  great, 
Great  above  all — srreat  as  the  Grace  of  God." 


This  is,  of  course,  a  very  feeble  attempt  to  render  the 
words  of  Jasmin.  lie  was  most  pathetic  when  lie  re- 
counted the  sorrows  of  the  poor.  While  doing  so,  he 
avoided  exciting  their  lower  instincts.  He  disavowed  all 
envy  of  the  goods  of  others.  He  maintained  respect  for 
the  law,  while  at  the  same  time  he  exhorted  the  ricli  to 
have  regard  for  their  poorer  bretliren.  "It  is  the  glory 
of  the  people,"  he  said  at  a  meeting  of  workmen,  "to 
protect  themselves  from  evil,  and  to  preserve  throughout 
their  purity  of  character." 

This  was  the  spirit  in  which  Jasmin  labored.  He  wrote 
some  other  poems  in  a  similar  strain — "The  Rich  and 
Poor,"  *'  The  Poor  Man's  Doctor,"  "  The  Rich  Benefac- 
tor" {Lou  BounEiche);  but  Jasmin's  own  "Charity" 
contained  the  germ  of  them  all.  He  put  his  own  soul 
into  his  poems.  At  Tonneins  the  emotion  he  excited 
by  his  reading  of  "  Charity  "  was  very  great,  and  the 
subscriptions  for  the  afflicted  poor  were  correspondingly 
large. 

The  municipality  never  forgot  the  occasion  ;  and  when- 
ever they  became  embarrassed  by  the  poverty  of  the  peo- 
ple they  invariably  appealed  to  Jasmin,  and  always  with 
the  same  success.  On  one  occasion  the  mayor  wrote  to 
him  :  "  We  are  still  under  the  charm  of  your  verses ;  and 
I  address  you  in  the  name  of  the  poor  people  of  Ton- 
neins, to  thank  you  most  gratefully  for  the  charitable  act 


86  Jasmin, 

t 

you  bave  done  for  their  benefit.  The  evening  you  ap- 
peared here,  sir,  will  long  survive  in  our  memory.  It 
excited  everywhere  the  most  lively  gratitude.  The  poor 
enjoyed  a  day  of  happiness,  and  the  rich  enjoyed  a  day 
of  pleasure,  for  nothing  can  be  more  blessed  than  Char- 
ity !'^ 

Jasmin,  in  replying  to  this  letter,  said  :  "  Christ's  words 
were,  '  The  poor  always  ye  have  with  you  ;'  in  pronounc- 
ing this  fact  he  called  the  world  to  deeds  of  charity,  and 
instituted  this  admirable  joint  responsibility  {solidarite) , 
in  virtue  of  which  each  man  should  fulfil  the  duty  of 
helping  his  poorer  neighbors.  It  is  this  responsibility 
which,  when  the  cry  of  hunger  or  suffering  is  heard,  is 
most  instrumental  in  bringing  all  generous  souls  to  the 
front,  in  order  to  create  and  multiply  the  resources  of  the 
poor." 

Jasmin's  success  at  Tonneins  led  to  numerous  invita- 
tions of  a  like  character.  "  Come  over  and  help  us,"  was 
the  general  cry  during  that  winter  of  famine.  The  bar- 
ber's shop  was  invaded  by  numerous  deputations,  and  the 
postman  was  constantly  delivering  letters  of  invitation  at 
his  door.  He  was  no  longer  master  of  his  time,  and  had 
considerable  difficulty  in  attending  to  his  own  proper 
business.  Sometimes  his  leisure  hours  were  appropriated 
six  months  beforehand  ;  and  he  was  often  peremptorily 
called  upon  to  proceed  with  his  philanthropic  work. 

When  he  could  find  time  enough  to  spare  from  his 
business  he  would  consent  to  give  another  recitation. 
When  the  distance  was  not  great  he  walked,  partly  for 
exercise  and  partly  to  save  money.  There  were  few  rail- 
ways in  those  days,  and  hiring  a  conveyance  was  an  ex- 
pensive affair.  Besides,  his  desire  always  was  to  hand 
over,  if  possible,  the  whole  of  the  receipts  to  the  charita- 
ble institutions  for  whose  benefit  he  gave  his  recitations. 


Jasmin  as  Philanthropist,  87 

The  wayfaring  poet,  on  his  approach  to  the  town  in 
which  he  was  to  appear,  was  usually  met  by  crowds  of  peo- 
ple. They  received  liim  with  joy  and  acclamation.  The 
magistrates  presented  him  with  a  congratulatory  address. 
Deputations  from  neighboring  towns  were  present  at  the 
celebration.  At  the  entrance  to  the  town  Jasmin  often 
passed  under  a  triumphal  arch,  with  "  Welcome,  Jasmin  ! 
our  native  poet !"  in«cribed  upon  it.  He  was  conveyed, 
headed  by  the  local  band,  to  the  hall  where  he  was  to 
give  his  recitation. 

Jasmin's  appearance  at  Bergerac  was  a  great  event. 
Bergerac  is  a  town  of  considerable  importance,  contain- 
ing about  fourteen  thousand  inhabitants,  situated  on  the 
riirht  or  north  bank  of  the  river  Dordo^ne.  But  durintj 
that  terrible  winter  the  poor  people  of  Bergerac  were  in 
great  distress,  and  Jasmin  was  -summoned  to  their  help. 
The  place  was  at  too- great  a  distance  from  Agen  for  him 
to  walk  thither,  and  accordingly  he  was  obliged  to  take 
a  conveyance.  Ue  was  as  usual  met  by  a  multitude  of 
people,  who  escorted  him  into-  the  town. 

The  magistrates  could  not  find  a  place  sufficiently 
large  to  give  accommodation  to  the  great  number  of  per- 
sons who  desired  to  hear  him.  At  length  they  found  a 
large  building  which  had  been  used  as  a  barn ;  and  there 
they  raised  a  platform  for  the  poet.  The  place  was  at 
once  filled,  and  those  who  could  not  get  admission  crowd- 
ed about  the  entrance.  Some  of  the  people  raised  ladders 
against  the  walls  of  the  building,  and  clambered  in  at  the 
windows.  Groups  of  auditors  were  seen  at  every  place 
where  they  could  find  a  footing.  Unfortunately  the 
weather  was  rainy,  and  a  crowd  of  women  filled  the  sur- 
rounding meadow,  sheltered  by  their  umbrellas. 

More  than  five  hundred  persons  had  not  been  able  to 
find  admission,  and  it  was  therefore  necessarv  for  Jasmin 


88  Jasmin. 

to  give  several  more  readings  to  satisfy  the  general  en- 
thusiasm. All  the  receipts  were  given  over  by  Jasmin 
for  the  benefit  of  the  poor,  and  the  poet  hurried  home  at 
once  to  his  shaving  and  hair-dressing. 

On  another  occasion,  at  Gontaud,  the  weather  was 
more  satisfactory.  The  day  was  fine  and  sunny,  and  the 
ground  was  covered  with  flowers.  About  the  time  that 
Jasmin  was  expected  an  open  carjiage,  festooned  with 
flowers,  and  drawn  by  four  horses,  was  sent  to  the  gate 
of  the  town,  escorted  by  the  municipal  council,  to  wait 
for  the  poet;  When  he  arrived  on  foot — for  the  place 
was  at  no  great  distance  from  Agen — twelve  young  girls, 
clothed  in  white,  offered  him  a  bouquet  of  flowers,  and 
presented  him  with  an  address.  He  then  entered  the 
carriage  and  proceeded  to  the  place  where  he  was  to  give 
his  recitation.  All  went  well  and  happily,  and  a  large 
offering  was  collected  and  distributed  among  the  poor. 

Then  at  Damazan,  where  he  gave  another  reading  for 
the  same  purpose,  after  he  had  entered  the  carriage  which 
was  to  convey  him  to  the  place  of  entertainment,  a  num- 
ber of  girls  preceded  the  carHage  in  which  the  poet  sat, 
and  scattered  flowers  in  his  way,  singing  the  refrain  of 
the  country  adapted  to  the  occasion.  It  resembled  the 
refrain  sung  before  the  bride  in  "The  Blind  Girl  of  Cas- 
tel-CuiUe': 

"The  paths  with  flowers  bestrew, 
So  great  a  poet  comes  this  way; 
For  all  sliould  flower  and  bloom  anew, 
So  great  a  poet  comes  to-day."  * 


*  In  Gascon 


"  Las  carreros  dionyon  fleuri, 
Tan  gran  poete  bay  sourti ; 
Diouyon  fleuri,  diouyon  graua, 
Tan  gran  poete  bay  passa." 


Jasmin  as  Philanthropist.  89 

These  are  only  specimens  of  the  way  in  which  Jasnain 
was  received  during  his  missions  of  philanthropy.  He 
went  from  north  to  south,  from  east  to  west,  by  river  and 
by  road,  sleeping  where  he  could,  but  always  happy  and 
cheerful,  doing  his  noble  work  with  a  full  and  joyous 
heart.  He  chirruped  and  sang  from  time  to  time  as  if 
his  mouth  was  full  of  nightingales.  And  he  was  never 
without  enthusiastic  multitudes  to  listen  to  his  recitals, 
and  to  share  their  means  with  the  poor  and  afflicted. 
We  might  fill  this  little  story  with  a  detailed  account 
of  his  journeyings ;  but  a  summary  account  is  all  that 
is  at  present  necessary.  We  shall  afterwards  return  to 
the  subject. 


90  Jasmin, 


CHAPTER  IX. 
JASMIN'S  "FRANCONNETTE." 

Jasmin  published  no  further  poems  for  three  or  four 
years.  His  time  was  taken  up  with  his  trade  and  his 
philanthropic  missions.  Besides,  he  did  not  compose 
with  rapidity  ;  he  elaborated  his  poems  by  degrees ;  he 
arranged  the  plot  of  his  story,  and  then  he  clothed  it 
with  poetical  words  and  images.  While  he  walked  and 
journeyed  from  place  to  place,  he  was  dreaming  and 
thinking  of  his  next  dramatic  poem  —  his  "  Francon- 
nette,"  which  many  of  his  Parisian  critics  regard  as  his 
masterpiece. 

Like  most  of  his  previous  poems,  Jasmin  wrote  "Fran- 
connette"  in  the  Gascon  dialect.  Some  of  his  intimate 
friends  continued  to  expostulate  with  him  for  using  this 
almost  dead  and  virtually  illiterate  patois.  Why  not 
write  in  classical  French  ?  M.  Dumon,  his  colleague  at 
the  Academy  of  Agen,  again  urged  him  to  employ  the 
national  language,  which  all  intelligent  readers  could  un- 
derstand. 

"  Under  the  reign  of  our  Henry  IV.,"  said  M.  Dumon, 
"  the  Langue  d'Oil  became,  with  modifications,  the  lan- 
guage of  the  French,  while  the  Langue  d'Oc  remained 
merely  a  patois.  Do  not  therefore  sing  in  the  dialect  of 
the  past,  but  in  the  language  of  the  present,  like  Beran- 
ger,  Lamartine,  and  Victor  Hugo. 

"  What,"  asked  M.  Dumon,  "  will  be  the  fate  of  your 


Jasmin^  ^^Franconnettey  91 

original  poetry  ?  It  will  live,  no  doubt,  like  the  dialect 
in  -which  it  is  written  ;  but  is  this,  the  Gascon  patois, 
likely  to  live?  Will  it  be  spoken  by  our  posterity  as  long 
as  it  has  been  spoken  by  our  ancestors  ?  I  hope  not ;  at 
least  I  wish  it  may  be  less  spoken.  Yet  I  love  its  artless 
and  picturesque  expressions,  its  lively  recollections  of  cus- 
toms and  manners  which  have  long  ceased  to  exist,  like 
those  old  ruins  which  still  embellish  our  landscape.  But 
the  tendency  which  is  gradually  effacing  the  vestiges  of 
our  old  language  and  customs  is  but  the  tendency  of  civ- 
ilization itself. 

"  When  Rome  fell  under  the  blows  of  the  barbarians, 
she  was  entirely  conquered ;  her  laws  were  subjected  at 
the  same  time  as  her  armies.  The  conquest  dismembered 
her  idiom  as  well  as  her  empire.  .  .  .  The  last  trace  of 
national  unity  disappeared  in  this  country  after  the  Ro- 
man occupation.  It  had  been  Gaul,  but  now  it  became 
France.  The  force  of  centralization  which  has  civilized 
Europe,  covering  this  immense  chaos,  has  brought  to 
light,  after  more  than  a  hundred  years,  this  most  mag- 
nificent creation — the  French  monarchy  and  the  French 
language.  Let  us  lament,  if  you  will,  that  the  poetical 
imagination  and  the  characteristic  language  of  our  ances- 
tors have  not  left  a  more  profound  impression.  But  the 
sentence  is  pronounced ;  even  our  Henry  IV.  could  not 
change  it.  Under  his  reign  the  Langue  d'Oil  became  for- 
ever the  French  language,  and  the  Langue  d'Oc  remained 
but  a  patois. 

"  Popular  poet  as  you  are,  you  sing  to  posterity  in  the 
language  of  the  past.  This  language,  which  you  recite  so 
well,  you  have  restored  and  perhaps  even  created;  yet  you 
do  not  feel  that  it  is  the  national  language ;  this  powerful 
instrument  of  a  new  era,  which  invades  and  besieges  yours 
on  all  sides  like  the  last  fortress  of  an  obsolete  civilization." 


92  Jasmin. 

Jasmin  was  cut  to  the  quick  by  this  severe  letter  of 
his  friend,  and  he  lost  not  a  moment  in  pleading  a  de- 
fence of  the  language  condemned  to  death  by  his  oppo- 
nent. He  even  displayed  the  force  and  harmony  of  the 
language  which  had  been  denounced  by  M.  Dumon  as  a 
patois.  He  endeavored  to  express  himself  in  the  most 
characteristic  and  poetical  style,  as  evidence  of  the  vital- 
ity of  his  native  Gascon.  He  compared  it  to  a  widowed 
mother  who  dies,  and  also  to  a  mother  who  does  not  die, 
but  continues  young,  lovely,  and  alert,  even  to  the  last. 
Dumon  had  published  his  protest  on  August  28,  1837, 
and  a  few  days  later,  on  September  2d,  Jasmin  replied  in 
the  following  poem  : 

"There's  not  a  deeper  grief  to  man 

Than  when  his  mother,  faint  with  years, 
Decrepit,  old,  and  weak  and  w^an, 

Beyond  the  leech's  art  appears; 
When  by  her  couch  her  son  may  stay, 

And  press  her  hand,  and  watch  her  eyes, 
And  feel,  though  she  revives  to-day. 

Perchance  his  hope  to-morrow  dies. 

"It  is  not  thus,  believe  me,  sir, 

With  this  enchantress — she  will  call 

Oar  second  mother :  Frenchmen  err. 

Who,  cent'ries  since,  proclaimed  her  fall! 

Our  mother-tongue — all  melody — 

While  music  lives  can  never  die. 

"  Yes !  she  still  lives,  her  words  still  ring ; 
Her  children  yet  her  carols  sing ; 
And  thousand  years  may  roll  away 
Before  her  magic  notes  decay. 

''  The  people  love  their  ancient  songs,  and  will 
While  yet  a  people,  love  and  keep  them  still : 


Jasmiii's  ^^JFranconnette.''^  93 

These  lays  are  as  their  mother;  they  recall 
Fond  thoughts  of  mother,  sister,  frieuds,  aud  all 
The  mauy  little  things  that  X)lea80  the  heart, 
The  dreams,  the  hopes,  from  which  wo  cannot  part. 
These  songs  are  as  sweet  waters,  where  we  find 
Health  in  the  sparkling  Avave  that  nerves  the  mind. 
In  ev'ry  home,  at  ev'ry  cottage  door, 
By  ev'ry  fireside,  when  our  toil  is  o'er. 
These  songs  are  round  us — near  our  cradles  sigh, 
And  to  the  grave  attend  iis  when  wo  die. 

"Oh,  think,  cold  critics!  'twill  be  late  and  long, 
Ere  time  shall  sweep  away  this  flood  of  song! 
There  are  who  bid  this  nmsic  sound  no  more, 
And  you  can  hear  them,  nor  defend — deplore ! 
You,  who  were  born  where  its  first  daisies  grew, 
Have  fed  upon  its  honey,  sipp'd  its  dew. 
Slept  in  its  arms,  and  wakened  to  its  kiss. 
Danced  to  its  sounds,  and  warbled  to  its  tone — 
You  can  forsake  it  in  an  hour  like  this ! 
Yes,  weary  of  its  age,  renounce — disown — 
And  blame  one  minstrel  who  is  true— alone !"  * 

This  is  but  a  paraphrase  of  Jasmin's  poem,  which,  as 
we  have  already  said,  cannot  be  verbally  translated  into 
any  other  language.  Even  the  last  editor  of  Jasmin's 
poems  —  Boyer  d'Agen  —  does  not  translate  them  into 
French  poetry,  but  into  French  prose.  Much  of  the  aroma 
of  poetry  evaporates  in  converting  poetical  thoughts  from 
one  language  into  another. 

Jasmin,  in  one  part  of  his  poem,  compares  the  ancient 
patois  to  one  of  the  grand  old  elms  in  the  Promenade  du 
Gravier,  which,  having  in  a  storm  had  some  of  its  branches 

*  The  whole  of  Jasmin's  answer  to  M.  Dumon  will  be  found  in 
the  Appendix  at  the  end  of  this  volume. 


94  Jasmin. 

torn  away,  was  ordered  by  the  local  authorities  to  be 
rooted  up.  The  laborers  worked  away,  but  their  pick- 
axes became  unhafted.  They  could  not  uproot  the  tree ; 
they  grew  tired  and  forsook  the  work.  When  the  sum- 
mer came  olorious  verdure  ao-ain  clothed  the  remainino: 
boughs,  the  birds  sang  sweetly  in  the  branches,  and  the 
neighbors  rejoiced  that  its  roots  had  been  so  numerous 
and  the  tree  had  been  so  firmly  planted. 

Jasmin's  description  of  his  mother -tongue  is  most 
touching.  Seasons  pass  away,  and,  as  they  roll  on,  their 
echoes  sound  in  our  ears;  but  the  loved  tongue  shall  not 
and  must  not  die.  The  mother-tongue  recalls  our  own 
dear  mother,  sisters,  friends,  and  crowds  of  by-gone  asso- 
ciations, which  press  into  our  minds  while  sitting  by  the 
evening  fire.  -This  tongue  is  the  language  of  our  toils 
and  labors ;  she  comes  to  us  at  our  birth,  she  lingers  at 
our  tomb. 

"No,  no — I  cannot  desert  my  mother-tongue!"  said 
Jasmin.  "  It  preserves  the  folk-lore  of  the  district ;  it 
is  the  language  of  the  poor,  of  the  laborer,  the  shepherd, 
the  farmer  and  grape  -  gatherers,  of  boys  and  girls,  of 
brides  and  bridegrooms.  The  people,"  he  said  to  M. 
Duraon,  "love  to  hear  my  songs  in  their  native  dialect. 
You  have  enough  poetry  in  classical  French ;  leave  me 
to  please  my  compatriots  in  the  dialect  which  they  love. 
I  cannot  give  up  this  harmonious  language,  our  sec- 
ond mother,  even  though  it  has  been  condemned  for 
three  hundred  years.  Why  !  she  still  lives,  her  voice 
still  sounds;  like  her,  the  seasons  pass,  the  bells  ring 
out  their  peals,  and  though  a  hundred  thousand  years 
may  roll  away  they  will  still  be  sounding  and  ring- 
ing!" 

Jasmin  has  been  compared  to  Dante.  But  there  is  this 
immense  difference  between  them.     Dante  was  virtually 


Jasmines  '^Franconnettey  95 

the  creator  of  the  Italian  lani^nage,  which  was  in  its  in- 
fancy when  lie  wrote  his  "  Divine  Comedy  "  some  six  hun- 
dred years  ago,  while  Jasmin  was  merely  reviving  a  grad- 
ually expiring  dialect.  Drouilhct  de  Sigalas  has  said  that 
Dante  lived  at  the  sunrise  of  his  language,  while  Jasmin 
lived  at  its  sunset.  Indeed,  Gascon  was  not  a  written 
language,  and  Jasmin  had  to  collect  his  lexicon,  gram- 
mar, and  speech  mostly  from  the  peasants  who  lived  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Agen.  Dante  virtually  created  the 
Italian  language,  but  Jasmin  merely  resuscitated  for  a 
time  the  Gascon  dialect. 

Jasmin  was  not  deterred  by  the  expostulations  of  Du- 
mon,  but  again  wrote  his  new  epic  of  "  Franconnette  "  in 
Gascon.  It  took  him  a  long  time  to  clothe  his  poetical 
thoughts  in  words.  Nearly  five  years  had  elapsed  since 
he  recited  "The  Blind  Girl  of  Castel-Cuillc "  to  the  citi- 
zens of  Bordeaux ;  since  then  he  had  written  a  few  poet- 
ical themes,  but  he  was  mainly  thinking  and  dreaming, 
and  at  times  writing  down  his  new  epic,  "  Franconnette." 
It  was  completed  in  1840,  when  he  dedicated  the  poem 
to  the  city  of  Toulouse. 

The  story  embodied  in  the  poem  was  founded  on  an 
ancient  tradition.  The  time  at  which  it  occurred  was 
towards  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  when  France 
was  torn  to  pieces  by  the  civil  war  between  the  Hugue- 
nots and  the  Catholics.  Agen  was  then  a  centre  of 
Protestantism.  It  was  taken  and  retaken  by  both  par- 
ties again  and  again.  The  Huguenot  captain,  Truelle, 
occupied  the  town  in  April,  1562;  but  Blaize  de  Mont- 
luc,  "a  fierce  Catholic,"  as  he  is  termed  by  M.  Paul 
Joanne,  assailed  the  town  with  a  strong  force  and  recapt- 
ured it.  On  entering  the  place,  Montluc  found  that  the 
inliabitants  had  fled  with  the  garrison,  and  "  the  terrible 
chief  was  greatly  disappointed  at  not  finding  any  person 


96  Jasmin. 

in  Agen  to  slaughter."*  Montliic  struck  with  a  heavy 
hand  the  Protestants  of  the  South.  In  the  name  of  the 
God  of  Mercy  he  hewed  the  Huguenots  to  pieces,  and, 
after  spreading  desolation  through  the  South,  he  retired 
to  his  fortress  at  Estellac,  knelt  before  the  altar,  took  the 
communion,  and  was  welcomed  by  his  party  as  one  of 
the  greatest  friends  of  the  Church. 

The  civil  war  went  on  for  ten  years,  until  in  August, 
1572,  the  massacre  of  Saint  Bartholomew  took  place. 
After  that  event  the  word  "Huguenot"  was  abolished, 
or  was  only  mentioned  with  terror.  Montluc's  castle  of 
Estellac,  situated  near  the  pretty  village  of  Estanquet, 
near  Roquefort — famous  for  its  cheese — still  exists;  his 
cabinet  is  preserved,  and  his  tomb  and  statue  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  adjoining  garden.  The  principal  scenes  of 
the  following  story  are  supposed  to  have  occurred  at 
Estanquet,  a  few  miles  to  the  south  of  Agen. 

"  Franconnette,"  like  the  "  The  Blind  Girl  of  Castel- 
Cuille,"  is  a  story  of  rivalry  in  love ;  but,  though  more 
full  of  adventure,  it  ends  more  happily.  Franconnette 
was  a  village  beauty.  Her  brilliant  eyes,  her  rosy  com- 
plexion, her  cherry  lips,  her  lithe  and  handsome  figure, 
brought  all  the  young  fellows  of  the  neighborhood  to 
her  feet.  Her  father  was  a  banished  Huo-uenot,  but 
beauty  of  person  sets  differences  of  belief  at  defiance. 
The  village  lads  praised  her  and  tried  to  win  her  affec- 
tions ;  but,  like  beauties  in  general  surrounded  by  ad- 
mirers, she  was  a  bit  of  a  flirt. 

At  length  two  rivals  appeared — one  Marcel,  a  soldier 
under  Montluc,  favored  by  Franconnette's  grandmother, 
and  Pascal,  the  village  blacksmith,  favored  by  the  girl 
herself.     One  Sunday  afternoon  a  number  of  young  men 

*   Gascorjne  ot  Langiiedoc^  par  Paul  Joanne,  p.  95  (edition  1883). 


Jasmiiih  ^^Franconnette.''''  97 

and  maidens  assembled  at  the  foot  of  Montluc's  castle  of 
Estellac  on  the  votive  festival  of  St.  Jacques  at  Roquefort. 
Franconnette  was  there,  as  well  as  Marcel  and  Pascal, 
her  special  admirers.  Dancing  began  to  the  music  of  the 
fife ;  but  Pascal,  the  handsomest  of  the  young  men, 
seemed  to  avoid  the  village  beauty.  Franconnette  was 
indignant  at  his  neo:lect,  but  was  anxious  to  secure  his 
attention  and  devotion.  She  danced  away,  sliding,  whirl- 
ing, and  pirouetting.  What  would  not  the  admiring 
youths  have  given  to  impress  two  kisses  on  her  lovely 
cheek !  * 

In  these  village  dances  it  is  the  custom  for  the  young 
men  to  kiss  their  partners,  if  they  can  tire  them  out ;  but 
in  some  cases,  when  the  girl  is  strong  and  an  accomplished 
dancer,  she  declines  to  be  tired  until  she  wishes  to  cease 
dancing.  First  one  youth  danced  with  Franconnette, 
then  another ;  but  she  tired  them  all.  Then  came  Mar- 
cel, the  soldier,  wearing  his  sabre,  with  a  cockade  in  his 
caf) — a  tall  and  stately  fellow,  determined  to  win  the  re- 
ward. But  he,  too,  after  much  whirling  and  dancing, 
was  at  last  tired  out ;  he  was  about  to  fall  with  dizziness, 
and  then  gave  in.  On  goes  the  dance  ;  Franconnette 
waits  for  another  partner ;  Pascal  springs  to  her  side, 
and  takes  her  round  the  waist.     Before  they  had  made  a 


*  The  dance  still  exists  in  the  neighborhood  of  Agen.  When 
there  a  few  j-ears  ago  I  wa3  drawn  by  the  sound  of  a  fife  and  a 
drum  to  the  spot  where  a  dance  of  this  sort  was  going  on.  It 
was  beyond  the  suspension-bridge  over  the  Garonne,  a  little  to  the 
south  of  Agen.  A  number  of  men  and  women  of  the  working-class 
were  assembled  on  the  grassy  sward,  and  were  dancing,  whirling, 
and  pirouetting  to  their  hearts'  content.  Sometimes  the  girls 
bounded  from  the  circle,  were  followed  by  their  sweethearts,  and 
kissed.  It  reminded  one  of  the  dance  so  vigorously  depicted  by 
Jasmin  in  "Franconnette." 
5 


98  Jasmin. 

dozen  steps  the  girl  smiles  and  stops,  and  turns  her 
blushing  cheeks  to  receive  her  partner's  willing  kisses. 

Marcel  started  up  in  a  rage,  and  drawing  himself  to  his 
full  height,  he  strode  to  Pascal.  "Peasant!"  he  said, 
*'thou  hast  supplied  ray  place  too  quickly,"  and  then 
dealt  him  a  thundering  blow  between  the  eyes.  Pascal 
was  not  felled ;  he  raised  his  arm,  and  his  fist  descended 
on  Marcel's  head  like  a  bolt.  The  soldier  attempted  to 
draw  his  sabre.  When  Pascal  saw  this  he  closed  with 
Marcel,  grasped  him  in  his  arras,  and  dashed  him  to  the 
ground,  crushed  and  senseless. 

Marcel  was  about  to  rise  to  renew  the  duel  when 
suddenly  Montluc,  who  happened  to  be  passing  with  the 
Baron  of  Roquefort,  stepped  forward  and  sternly  ordered 
the  combatants  to  separate. 

This  terrible  encounter  put  an  end  to  the  fete.  The 
girls  fled  like  frightened  doves.  The  young  men  escorted 
Pascal  to  his  home  preceded  by  the  fifers.  Marcel  was 
not  discouraged.  On  recovering  his  speech  he  stam- 
mered out,  grinding  his  teeth :  "  They  shall  pay  dearly 
for  this  jesting;  Franconnette  shall  have  no  other  hus- 
band than  myself." 

Many  months  passed.  The  harvest  was  gathered  in. 
There  were  no  more  out-door  fetes  or  dances.  The 
villagers  of  Estanquet  assembled  round  their  firesides. 
Christmas  arrived  with  its  games  and  carol -singing. 
Then  came  the  Feast  of  Lovers,  called  the  Buscou,*  on 


*  Miss  Harriet  Preston,  of  Boston,  published  part  of  a  trans- 
lation of  "Franconnette"  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  for  February, 
ISYB,  and  adds  the  following  note:  "The  buscou,  or  busking,  was 
a  kind  of  bee,  at  which  the  young  people  assembled,  bringing  the 
thread  of  their  late  spinning,  which  was  divided  into  skeins  of  the 
proper  size  by  a  broad  and  thin  plate  of  steel  or  whalebone  called 


Jasmines  ^^Franconnettey 


99 


the  last  day  of  the  year,  where,  in  a  large  chamber,  some 
hundred  distaffs  were  turning,  and  boys  and  girls,  with 
nimble  fingers,  were  winding  thread  of  the  finest  flax. 
Franconnette  was  there,  and  appointed  queen  of  the 
games.  After  the  winding  was  over  the  songs  and 
dances  began  to  the  music  of  a  tambourine.  The  queen, 
admired  by  all,  sang  and  danced  like  the  rest. 

Pascal  was  not  there;  his  mother  was  poor,  and  she 
endeavored  to  persuade  him  to  remain  at  home  and 
work.  After  a  short  struggle  with  himself  Pascal  yield- 
ed. He  turned  aside  to  his  forge  in  silent  dejection, 
Rod  soon  the  anvil  was  ringing  and  the  sparks  were  fly- 
ing, while  away  down  in  the  village  the  busking  went 
merrily  on.  "  If  the  prettiest  were  always  the  most 
sensible,"  says  Jasmin,  "how  much  my  Franconnette 
might  have  accomplished ;"  but  instead  of  this  she  flitted 
from  place  to  place,  idle  and  gay,  jesting,  singing,  danc- 
ing, and,  as  usual,  bewitching  all. 

Then  Thomas,  Pascal's  friend,  asked  leave  to  sing  a 
few  verses,  and,  fixing  his  keen  eyes  upon  the  coquette, 
lie  began  in  tones  of  lute-like  sweetness  the  following 
song,  entitled  "The  Siren  with  a  Heart  of  Ice."  We 
have  translated  it,  as  nearly  as  possible,  from  the  Gascon 
dialect: 


"Faribolo  pastonro, 
Sertino  al  c5  de  glas. 
Oh  !  digo,  (ligo  couro 
Eutendren  tinda  I'liouro 
Oun  t'amistonzaras. 
Toutjour  fariboulejes, 


Wayward  shoplierd  maid. 
Siren  with  heart  of  ice, 
Oh !  tell  lis,  tell  us !  when 
Wo  listen  for  the  hour 
When  thou  shalt  feel 
Ever  so  free  and  gay. 


a  hiiic.  The  same  thinj^,  under  precisely  the  same  name,  figured 
in  the  toilets  of  our  grandmothers,  and  hence,  probably,  the  Scotch 
use  of  the  verb  to  btiak,  or  attire." 


100 


Jasmin. 


Et  quaiid  parpailloulejes 
La  foulo  que  mestrejes, 
Sur  touii  cami  set  met 

Et  te  si^t. 
Mais  r6s  d'acos,  maynaclo, 

Al  boimhur  pot  mena; 
Qu'6s  ac5s  d'estre  aymado, 

Qiiand  on  sat  pas  ayma?" 


And  when  j'ou  flutter  o'er 
The  number  you  subdue, 
Upon  thy  path  they  fall 

At  thy  feet. 
But  nothing  comes  of  this, 

young  maid, 
To  happiness  it  never  leads; 
What  is  it  to  be  loved  like 

this 
If    you     ne'er     can     love 

Hirain  ?" 


Such  poetry,  however,  defies  translation.  The  more  ex- 
quisite the  mastery  of  a  writer  over  his  own  language 
the  more  difScult  it  is  to  reproduce  it  in  another.  But 
the  spirit  of  the  song  is  in  Miss  Costello's  translation,* 
as  given  in  "  Franconnette"  at  the  close  of  this  volume. 

When  reciting  "  Franconnette,"  Jasmin  usually  sang 
"The  Siren"  to  music  of  his  own  composition.  We 
accordingly  annex  his  music : 


SERENO  AL  CO  DE   GLAS. 

Paroles  et  Musique  de  Jasmin. 


i 


Allegretto, 

3! 


t) 


-N-3- 


^U 


Fa  -  ri  -  bo  -  lo    pas-tou  -  ro,      Se  -  re  -  no    al  c6  de 


t=w=t 


'V-ti-v-\^E=. 


M— 


glas,    Oh  !  di-go,  di  -  go  cou  -  ro  En  -  ten-dren  tin-da 


*  Miss  Louisa  Stuart  Costello,  in  Beam  and  the  Pyrenees. 


Jasmines  ^^Framohnett^!''* 


X^X' 


% 


^. 


g^^^ 


-#— ^- 


#— #- 


V-t/- 


V=^' 


v-^ 


rhou-ro  Oun  t'a-mis-tou-za  -  ras.     Tout  jour  fa-ri-bou- 


mm: 


le  -    -  jes,    Et  quand  par-pail-lou  -  le    -     jes,  La 


#=T 


fou-  lo    que  mes-  tre  -  jes,   Sur  toun  ca  -mi    set 


■^ 


1^ 


met  Et  te  siet.  Mais  res  d'a  -  cos,  may-na  -  do,    Al 

rail. 

Itifc; 


3^ 


5=^ 


i^Eg^^g^EEl 


boun-hurpot  me  -   na  ;  Qu'es  a-cos  d'es-tre  ayma-do, 
Allegro. 


>      .    ^- 


N-=1- 


^^^i^^j 


bien,  ay -ma -do,     Quand  on  sat    pas  ay  -    ma? 


All  were  transported  with  admiration  at  the  beautiful 
song.  When  Thomas  had  finished,  loud  shouts  were 
raised  for  the  name  of  the  poet.  "  Who  composed  this 
beautiful  lay  ?"  "  It  is  Pascal,"  replied  Thomas.  '*  Bra- 
vo, Pascal!  Lonjv  live  Pascal!"  was  the  cry  of  the 
young  people.  Franconnette  was  unwontedly  touched 
by  the  song.  "But  where  is  Pascal?"  she  said.  **If 
he  loves,  why  docs  he  not  appear?"  "Oh,"  said  Lau- 
rent, another  of  his  rivals,  in  a  jealous  and  piqued  tone, 
"  he  is  loo  poor;  ho  is  obliged  to  stay  at  home;  his  fa- 


■]  Q'2  Jasmin. 

ther  is  so  infirm  that  lie  lives  upon  alms!"  "You  lie!" 
cried  Thomas.  "Pascal  is  unfortunate;  he  has  been  six 
months  ill  from  the  wounds  he  received  in  defence  of 
Franconnette,  and  now  his  family  is  dependent  upon 
him;  but  he  has  industry  and  courage,  and  will  soon 
recover  from  his  misfortunes." 

Franconnette  remained  quiet,  concealing  her  emotions. 
Then  the  games  began.  They  played  at  cache  couteau 
or  hunt  the  slipper.  Dancing  came  next;  Franconnette 
was  challenged  by  Laurent,  and  after  many  rounds  the 
girl  was  tired,  and  Laurent  claimed  the  kisses  that  she 
had  forfeited.  Franconnette  flew  away  like  a  bird ; 
Laurent  ran  after  her,  caught  her,  and  was  claiming  the 
customary  forfeit,  when,  struggling  to  free  herself,  Lau- 
rent slipped  upon  the  floor,  fell  heavily,  and  broke  his  arm. 

Franconnette  was  again  unfortunate.  Ill-luck  seems 
to  have  pursued  the  girl.  The  games  came  to  an  jend, 
and  the  young  people  were  about  to  disperse  when,  at 
this  unlucky  moment,  the  door  was  burst  open  and  a 
sombre  apparition  appeared.  It  was  the  Black  Forest 
sorcerer,  the  supposed  warlock  of  the  neighborhood. 
"  Unthinking  creatures,"  he  said,  "  I  have  come  from  my 
gloomy  rocks  up  yonder  to  open  your  eyes.  You  all 
adore  this  Franconnette.  Behold,  she  is  accursed !  While 
in  her  cradle  her  father,  the  Huguenot,  sold  her  to  the 
devil.  He  has  punished  Pascal  and  Laurent  for  the 
light  embrace  she  gave  them.  Be  warned  in  time  and 
avoid  her.     The  demon  alone  has  a  claim  to  her." 

The  sorcerer  ended ;  sparks  of  fire  surrounded  him, 
and  after  turning  four  times  round  in  a  circle  he  sud- 
denly disappeared !  Franconnette's  friends  at  once  held 
aloof  from  her.  They  called  out  to  her,  "  Begone !"  All 
in  a  maze  the  girl  shuddered  and  sickened ;  she  became 
senseless  and  fell  down  on  the  floor  in  a  swoon.     The 


Jasmin's  ^^Franco^inette.''^  103 

young  people  fled,  leaving  her  helpless.  And  thns  ended 
the  second  fete  which  began  so  gayly. 

The  grossest  superstition  then  prevailed  in  France,  as 
everywhere.  Witches  and  warlocks  were  thoroughly  be- 
lieved in,  far  more  so  than  belief  in  God  and  His  Son. 
Tiie  news  spread  abroad  that  the  girl  was  accursed  and 
sold  to  the  Evil  One,  and  she  was  avoided  by  everybody. 
She  felt  herself  doomed.  At  length  she  reached  her 
grandmother's  house,  but  she  could  not  work,  she  could 
scarcely  stand.  The  once  radiant  Franconnette  could 
neither  play  nor  sing,  she  could  only  weep. 

Thus  ended  two  cantos  of  the  poem.  The  third  opens 
with  a  lovely  picture  of  a  cottage  by  a  leafy  brook-side 
in  the  hamlet  of  Estanquet.  The  spring  brought  out  the 
singing-birds  to  pair  and  build  their  nests.  They  listened, 
but  could  no  longer  hear  the  music  which,  in  former 
years,  had  been  almost  sweeter  than  their  own.  The 
nightingales,  more  curious  than  the  rest,  flew  into  the 
maid's  garden  ;  they  saw  her  straw-hat  on  a  bench,  a  rake 
and  watering-pot  among  the  neglected  jonquils,  and  the 
rose  branches  running  riot.  Peering  yet  farther  and 
peeping  into  the  cottage  door,  the  curious  birds  discov- 
ered an  old  woman  asleep  in  her  arm-chair,  and  a  pale, 
quiet  girl  beside  her,  dropping  tears  upon  her  lily  hands. 
"Yes,  yes,  it  is  Franconnette,"  says  the  poet.  "  You  will 
have  guessed  that  already.  A  poor  girl,  weeping  in  soli- 
tude, the  daughter  of  a  Uuguenot,  banned  by  the  Church 
and  sold  to  the  devil !  Could  anything  be  more  fright- 
ful?" 

Nevertheless  her  grandmother  said  to  her,  "  My  child, 
it  is  not  true ;  the  sorcerer's  charge  is  false.  Be  of  good 
cheer;  you  are  more  lovely  than  ever."  One  gleam  of 
hope  had  come  to  Franconnette;  she  hears  that  Pascal 
has  defended  her  everywhere,  and  boldly  declared  her  to 


104  Jasmin, 

be  the  victim  of  a  brutal  plot.  She  now  realized  how 
great  was  his  goodness,  and  her  proud  spirit  was  softened 
even  to  tears.  The  grandmother  put  in  a  good  word  for 
Marcel,  but  the  girl  turned  aside.  Then  the  old  woman 
said,  "  To-morrow  is  Easter  Day ;  go  to  mass,  pray  as  you 
never  prayed  before,  and  take  the  blessed  bread,  proving 
that  you  are  numbered  with  His  children  forever." 

The  girl  consented,  and  went  to  the  Church  of  Saint 
Peter  on  Easter  morning.  She  knelt,  with  her  chaplet 
of-  beads,  among  the  rest,  imploring  Heaven's  mercy. 
But  she  knelt  alone  in  the  midst  of  a  wide  circle.  All 
the  communicants  avoided  her.  The  church-warden.  Mar- 
cel's uncle,  in  his  long-tailed  coat,  with  a  pompous  step, 
passed  her  entirely  by,  and  refused  her  the  heavenly  meal. 
Pascal  was  there  and  came  to  her  help.  He  went  for- 
ward to  the  church-warden  and  took  from  the  silver  plate 
the  crown  piece*  of  the  holy  element  covered  with  flow- 
ers, and  took  and  presented  two  pieces  of  the  holy  bread 
to  Franconnette — one  for  herself,  the  other  for  her  grand- 
mother. 

From  that  moment  she  begins  to  live  a  new  life,  and 
to  understand  the  magic  of  love.  She  carries  home  the 
blessed  bread  to  the  ancient  dame,  and  retires  to  her 
chamber  to  give  herself  up,  with  the  utmost  gratefulness, 
to  the  rapturous  delight  of  loving.  "  Ah,"  says  Jasmin 
in  his  poem,  "the  sorrowing  heart  aye  loveth  best  1" 

Yet  still  she  remembers  the  fatal  doom  of  the  sorcerer 
— that  she  is  sold  for  a  price  to  the  demon.     All  seem  to 


*  A  custom  which  tlien  existed  in  certain  parts  of  France.  It 
was  talcen  by  the  French  emigrants  to  Canada,  where  it  existed 
not  long  ago.  The  crown  of  the  sacramental  bread  used  to  be  re- 
served for  the  family  of  the  seigneur  or  other  communicants  of 
distinction. 


Jasmin's  ''^ Franconnettey  105 

believe  the  hideous  tale,  and  no  one  takes  her  part  save 
Pascal  and  her  grandmother.  She  kneels  before  her  lit- 
tle shrine,  and  prays  to  the  Holy  Virgin  for  help  and 
succor. 

At  the  next  fete  day  she  repaired  to  the  church  of 
Notre  Dame  de  bon  Encontre,*  where  the  inhabitants  of 
half  a  dozen  of  the  neijjhborinQ;  villaores  had  assembled, 
with  priests  and  crucifixes,  garlands  and  tapers,  banners 
and  angels.  The  latter,  girls  about  to  be  confirmed, 
walked  in  procession  and  sang  the  "  Angelus"  at  the  ap- 
propriate hours.  The  report  had  spread  abroad  that  Fran- 
connette  would  entreat  the  Blessed  Virgin  to  save  her 
from  the  demon.  The  strangers  were  more  kind  to  her 
than  her  immediate  neighbors,  and  from  many  a  pitying 
heart  the  prayer  went  up  that  a  miracle  might  be  wrought 
in  favor  of  the  beautiful  maiden.  She  felt  their  sympa- 
thy, and  it  gave  her  confidence.  The  special  suppliants 
passed  up  to  the  altar  one  by  one — anxious  mothers,  dis- 
appointed lovers,  orphans,  and  children.  They  kneel,  they 
ask  for  blessings,  they  present  their  candles  for  the  old 
priest  to  bless,  and  then  they  retire. 

Now  came  the  turn  of  Franconnette.  Pascal  was  in 
sight  and  prayed  for  her  success.  She  went  forward  in 
a  happy  frame  of  mind,  with  her  taper  and  a  bouquet  of 
flowers.  She  knelt  before  the  priest.  He  took  the  sa- 
cred image  and  presented  it  to  her;  but  scarcely  had  it 
touched  the  lips  of  the  orphan  when  a  terrible  peal  of 
thunder  rent  the  heavens,  and  a  bolt  of  lightning  struck 
the  spire  of  the  church,  extinguishing  her  taper  as  well 
as  the  altar  lights.     This  was  a  most  unlucky  coincidence 


*  A  church  in  the  suburbs  of  Agen,  celebrated  for  it3  legends 
and  miracles,  to  which  numerous  pilgrimages  are  made   in  the 
month  of  May. 
6* 


106  Jasmin, 

for  the  terrified  girl,  and,  cowering  like  a  lost  soul,  she 
crept  out  of  the  church.  The  people  were  in  consterna- 
tion. "  It  was  all  true ;  she  was  now  sold  to  the  devil ! 
Put  her  to  death ;  that  is  the  only  way  of  ending  our  mis- 
fortunes !" 

The  truth  is  that  the  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning 
prevailed  throughout  the  neighborhood.  It  is  a  common 
thing  in  Southern  climes.  The  storm  which  broke  out 
at  Notre  Dame  destroyed  the  belfry;  the  church  of 
Roquefort  was  demolished  by  a  bolt  of  lightning,  the 
spire  of  Saint  Pierre'  was  ruined.  The  storm  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  tempest  of  hail  and  rain.  Agen  was  engulfed 
by  the  waters ;  her  bridge  was  destroyed,*  and  many  of 
the  neighboring  vineyards  were  devastated.  And  all  this 
ruin  was  laid  at  the  door  of  poor  Franconnette  I 

The  neighbors  —  her  worst  enemies  —  determined  to 
burn  the  daughter  of  the  Huguenot  out  of  her  cottage. 
The  grandmother  first  heard  the  cries  of  the  villagers; 
"  Fire  them,  let  them  both  burn  together !"  Franconnette 
rushed  to  the  door  and  pleaded  for  mercy,  "  Go  back," 
cried  the  crowd,  "you  must  both  roast  together  l"    They 

*A  long  time  ago  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Agen  commu- 
nicated with  the  other  side  of  the  Garonne  by  means  of  little  boats. 
The  first  wooden  bridge  was  commenced  when  Aquitaine  was  gov- 
erned by  the  English,  in  the  reign  of  Richard  Coeur-de-Lion,  at  the 
end  of  the  twelfth  century.  The  bridge  was  destroyed  and  repaired 
many  times,  and  one  of  the  piles  on  which  the  bridge  was  built  is 
still  to  be  seen.  It  is  attributed  to  Napoleon  I,  that  he  caused 
the  first  bridge  of  stone  to  be  erected,  for  the  purpose  of  facilitat- 
ing the  passage  of  his  troops  to  Spain.  The  work  was,  however, 
abandoned  during  his  reign,  and  it  was  not  until  the  Restoration 
that  the  bridge  was  completed.  Since  that  time  other  bridges,  es- 
pecially the  suspension-bridge,  have  been  erected,  to  enable  the  in- 
habitants of  the  towns  on  the  Garonne  to  communicate  freely  with 
each  other. 


Jasmines  ^^ Franconnettey  107 

set  fire  to  the  rick  outside  and  then  proceeded  to  fire  the 
thatch  of  the  cottage.  **  Hoh^,  hold !"  cried  a  stern 
voice,  and  Pascal  rushed  in  among  them.  "  Cowards ! 
would  you  murder  two  defenceless  women  ?  Tigers  that 
you  are,  would  you  fire  and  burn  them  in  their  dwelling?" 

Marcel  too  appeared ;  he  had  not  yet  given  up  the 
hope  of  winning  Franconnette's  love.  He  now  joined 
Pascal  in  defending  her  and  the  old  dame,  and  being  a 
soldier  of  Montluc,  he  was  a  powerful  man  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. The  girl  was  again  asked  to  choose  between 
the  two.  At  last,  after  refusing  any  marriage  under  pres- 
ent circumstances,  she  clung  to  Pascal.  "  I  would  have 
died  alone,"  she  said,  *'  but  since  you  will  have  it  so,  I 
resist  no  longer.  It  is  our  fate ;  we  will  die  together." 
Pascal  was  willing  to  die  with  her,  and  turning  to  Mar- 
cel he  said:  "I  have  been  more  fortunate  than  you,  but 
you  are  a  brave  man  and  you  will  forgive  me.  I  have 
no  friend,  but  will  you  act  as  a  squire  and  see  me  to  my 
grave?"  After  struggling  with  his  feelings.  Marcel  at 
last  said, "  Since  it  is  her  wish,  I  will  be  your  friend." 

A  fortnight  later  the  marriage  between  the  unhappy 
lovers  took  place.  Every  one  foreboded  disaster.  The 
wedding  procession  went  down  the  green  hill  towards 
the  church  of  Notre  Dame.  There  was  no  singing,  no 
dancing,  no  merriment,  as  was  usual  on  such  occasions. 
The  rustics  shuddered  at  heart  over  the  doom  of  Pascal. 
The  soldier  Marcel  marched  at  the  head  of  the  wedding- 
party.  At  the  church  an  old  woman  appeared — Pascal's 
mother.  She  flung  her  arms  about  him  and  adjured  him 
to  fly  from  liis  false  bride,  for  his  marriage  would  doom 
liim  to  death.  She  even  fell  at  the  feet  of  her  son  and 
said  that  he  should  pass  over  her  body  rather  than  be 
married.  Pascal  turned  to  Marcel  and  said :  "  Love  over- 
powers me!    If  I  die,  will  you  take  care  of  my  mother?" 


108  Jasmin, 

Then  the  gallant  soldier  dispelled  the  gloom  which  had 
overshadowed  the  union  of  the  loving  pair.  *'  I  can  do 
no  more,"  he  said;  "your  mother  has  conquered  me. 
Franconnette  is  good  and  pure  and  true.  I  loved  the 
maid,  Pascal,  and  would  have  shed  my  blood  for  her,  but 
she  loved  you  instead  of  me. 

"Know  that  she  is  not  sold  to  the  Evil  One.  In  my 
despair  I  hired  the  sorcerer  to  frighten  you  with  his  mis- 
chievous tale,  and  chance  did  the  rest.  When  we  both 
demanded  her,  she  confessed  her  love  for  you.  It  was 
more  than  I  could  bear,  and  I  resolved  that  we  should 
both  die. 

"  But  your  mother  has  disarmed  me ;  she  reminds  me 
of  my  own.  Live,  Pascal,  for  your  wife  and  your  moth- 
er !  You  need  have  no  more  fear  of  me.  It  is  better 
that  I  should  die  the  death  of  a  soldier  than  with  a  crime 
upon  ray  conscience." 

Thus  saying,  he  vanished  from  the  crowd,  who  burst 
into  cheers.  The  happy  lovers  fell  into  each  other's 
arms.  "  And  now,"  said  Jasmin,  in  concluding  his  poem, 
"  I  must  lay  aside  my  pencil.  I  had  colors  for  sorrow ; 
I  have  none  for  such  happiness  as  theirs!" 


Jasmin  at  Toulouse.  109 


CHAPTER  X. 

JASMIN  AT  TOULOUSE. 

It  had  hitherto  been  the  custom  of  Jasmin  to  dedicate 
his  poems  to  one  of  his  friends;  but  in  the  case  of  "  Fran- 
connette"  he  dedicated  the  poem  to  the  city  of  Toulouse. 
His  object  in  makinor  the  dedication  was  to  express  his 
gratitude  for  the  banquet  given  to  him  in  1836  by  the 
leading  men  of  the  city,  at  which  the  president  had  given 
the  toast  of  "Jasmin,  the  adopted  son  of  Toulouse." 

Toulouse  was  the  most  wealthy  and  prosperous  city  in 
the  South  of  France.  Among  its  citizens  were  many 
men  of  literature,  art,  and  science.  Jasmin  was  at  first 
disposed  to  dedicate  "Franconnettc"  to  the  city  of 
Bordeaux,  where  he  had  been  so  graciously  received  and 
feted  on  the  recitation  of  his  '*  Blind  Girl  of  Castel-Cuille ;" 
but  he  eventually  decided  to  dedicate  the  new  poem  to 
the  city  of  Toulouse,  where  he  had  already  achieved  a 
considerable  reputation. 

Jasmin  was  received  with  every  honor  by  the  city 
which  had  adopted  him.  It  was  his  intention  to  read 
the  poem  at  Toulouse  before  its  publication.  If  there 
was  one  of  the  towns  or  cities  in  which  his  language 
was  understood  —  one  which  promised  by  the  strength 
and  depth  of  its  roots  to  defy  all  the  chances  of  the  fut- 
ure— that  city  was  Toulouse,  the  capital  of  the  Languo 
d'Oc. 

The  place  in  wliich  he  first  recited  the  poem  was  the 


110  Jasmin. 

great  hall  of  the  Museum.  When  the  present  author 
saw  it  about  two  years  ago,  the  ground-floor  was  full  of 
antique  tombs,  statues,  and  monuments  of  the  past ;  while 
the  hall  above  it  was  crowded  with  pictures  and  works 
of  art,  ancient  and  modern. 

About  fifteen  hundred  persons  assembled  to  listen  to 
Jasmin  in  the  great  hall.  "  It  is  impossible,"  said  the 
local  journal,*  "to  describe  the  transport  with  which  he 
was  received."  The  vast  gallery  was  filled  with  one  of 
the  most  brilliant  assemblies  that  had  ever  met  in  Tou- 
louse. Jasmin  occupied  the  centre  of  the  platform.  At 
his  right  and  left  hand  were  seated  the  rnayor,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  municipal  council,  the  military  chiefs,  the 
members  of  the  Academy  of  Jeux-Floraux,f  and  many 
distinguished  persons  in  science,  literature,  and  learning. 
A  large  space  had  been  reserved  for  the  accommodation 
of  ladies,  who  appeared  in  their  light  summer  dresses, 
colored  like  the  rainbow;  and  behind  them  stood  an  im- 
mense number  of  the  citizens  of  Toulouse. 

Jasmin  had  no  sooner  begun  to  recite  his  poem  than 
it  was  clear  that  he  had  fall  command  of  his  audience. 
Impressed  by  his  eloquence  and  powers  of  declamation, 
they  were  riveted  to  their  seats,  dazzled  and  moved  by 
turns,  as  the  crowd  of  beautiful  thoughts  passed  through 


*  Journal  de  Toulouse^  July  4,  1840. 

t  The  Society  of  the  Jeux-Floranx  derives  its  oiigin  from  the 
ancient  Troubadours.  It  claims  to  be  the  oldest  society  of  the 
kind  in  Europe.  It  is  said  to  have  been  founded  in  the  fourteenth 
century  by  Clemence  Isaure,  a  Toulousian  lady,  to  commemorate 
the  "  Gay  Science."  A  meeting  of  tlie  society  is  held  every  year, 
when  prizes  are  distributed  to  the  authors  of  the  best  compositions 
in  prose  and  verse.  It  somewhat  resembles  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Eisteddfod  held  for  awarding  prizes  to  the  bards  and  compos- 
ers of  Wales. 


Jasmin  at  Toulouse,  111 

their  minds.  The  audience  were  so  much  absorbed  by 
the  poet's  recitation  that  not  a  whisper  was  heard.  He 
evoked  by  the  tones  and  tremor  of  his  voice  their  sighs, 
their  tears,  their  indignation.  lie  was  by  turns  gay, 
melancholy,  artless,  tender,  arch,  courteous,  and  declama- 
tory. As  the  drama  proceeded,  the  audience  recognized 
the  beauty  of  the  plot,  and  the  poet's  knowledge  of  the 
human  heart.  He  touched  with  grace  all  the  chords  of 
his  lyre.  His  poetry  evidently  came  direct  from  his 
heart:  it  was  as  rare  as  it  was  delicious. 

The  success  of  the  recitation  was  complete,  and  when 
Jasmin  resumed  his  seat  he  received  the  most  enthusiastic 
applause.  As  the  whole  of  the  receipts  were,  as  usual, 
handed  over  by  Jasmin  to  the  local  charities,  the  as- 
sembly decided  by  acclamation  that  a  subscription  should 
be  raised  to  present  to  the  poet,  who  had  been  adopted 
by  the  city,  some  testimony  of  their  admiration  for  his 
talent,  and  for  his  having  first  recited  to  them  and  dedi- 
cated to  Toulouse  his  fine  poem  of  *'  Franconnette." 

Jasmin  handed  over  to  the  municipality  the  manuscript 
of  his  poem  in  a  volume  beautifully  bound.  The  mayor, 
in  eloquent  language,  accepted  the  work,  and  acknowl- 
edged the  fervent  thanks  of  the  citizens  of  Toulouse. 

As  at  Bordeaux,  Jasmin  was  feted  and  entertained  by 
the  most  distinguished  people  of  the  city.  At  one  of 
the  numerous  banquets  at  which  he  was  present,  he  re- 
plied to  the  speech  of  the  chairman  by  an  impromptu  in 
honor  of  those  who  had  so  splendidly  entertained  him. 
But,  as  he  had  already  said,  "  Impromptus  may  be  good 
money  of  the  heart,  but  they  are  often  the  worst  money 
of  the  head." 

On  the  day  following  the  entertainment  Jasmin  was 
invited  to  a  *' grand  banquet"  given  by  the  coiffeurs  of 
Toulouse,  where  they  presented  him  with  *'  a  crown  of 


1 1 2  Jasmin, 

immortelles  and  jasmines,"  and  to  them  also  he  recited 
another  of  his  impromptus.* 

"  Franconnette  "  was  shortly  after  published,  and  the 
poem  was  received  with  almost  as  much  applause  by  the 
public  as  it  had  been  by  the  citizens  of  Toulouse.  Sainte- 
Beuve,  the  prince  of  French  critics,  said  of  the  work : 

"In  all  his  compositions  Jasmin  has  a  natural,  touch- 
ing idea;  it  is  a  history,  either  of  his  invention,  or  taken 
from  some  local  tradition.  With  his  facility  as  an  im- 
provisatore,  aided  by  the  patois  in  which  he  writes,  .  .  . 
when  he  puts  his  dramatis  ^^ersona  into  action,  he  en- 
deavors to  depict  their  thoughts,  all  their  simple  yet 
lively  conversation,  and  to  clothe  them  in  words  the  most 
artless,  simple,  and  transparent,  and  in  a  language  true, 
eloquent,  and  sober:  never  forget  this  latter  characteristic 
of  Jasmin's  works."  f 

M.  de  Lavergne  says  of  "  Franconnette,"  that  of  all  Jas- 
min's work  it  is  the  one  in  which  he  aimed  at  beins: 


*  The  following  was  his  impromptu  to  the  savants  of  Toulouse, 
July  4,  1840: 

"Oh,  bon  Dieu!  que  de  gloire!    Oh,  bon  Dieu  !  que  d'honneurs! 
Messieurs,  ce  jour  pour  ma  Muse  est  bien  doux ; 
Mais  maintenant,  d'etre  quitte,  j'ai  perdu  I'esperance: 

Car  je  viens,  plus  fier  que  jamais, 

Vous  payer  ma  reconnaissance, 

Et  je  m'endette  que  plus  !" 

This  is  the  impromptu  given  on  July  5,  1840: 

"Toulouse  m'a  donne  un  beau  bouquet  d'honneur; 
Votre  festin,  amis,  en  est  une  belle  fleur ; 
Aussi,  dans  les  plaisirs  de  cette  longue  fete, 

Quand  je  veux  remercier  de  eela, 
Je  poursuis  mon  esprit  pour  ne  pas  etre  en  reste 
Id,  I'esprit  me  nait  et  tombe  de  raon  coeur !" 

f  Ciuneries  du  Lnndi,  iv.  240  (edition  1852). 


Jasmin  at  Toulouse.  113 

most  entirely  popular,  and  that  it  is  at  the  same  time 
the  most  noble  and  the  most  chastened.  He  might  also 
have  added  the  most  chivah'ous.  "There  is  something 
essentially  knightly,"  says  Miss  Preston,  "  in  Pascal's  cast 
of  character,  and  it  is  singular  that  at  the  supreme  crisis 
of  his  fate  he  assumes,  as  if  unconsciously,  the  very 
phraseology  of  chivalry. 

"  *  Some  squire  (donzel)  should  follow  rae  to  death.' 

It  is  altogether  natural  and  becoming  in  the  high-minded 
smith." 

M.  Charles  Nodier — Jasmin's  old  friend — was  equally 
complimentary  in  his  praises  of  "  Franconnette."  When 
a  copy  of  the  poem  was  sent  to  him,  with  an  accompany- 
ing letter,  Nodier  replied : 

"  I  have  received  with  lively  gratitude,  my  dear  and 
illustrious  friend,  your  beautiful  verses,  and  your  charm- 
ing and  affectionate  letter.  I  have  read  them  with  great 
pleasure  and  profound  admiration.  Although  ill  in  bed, 
I  have  devoured  'Franconnette'  and  the  other  poems. 
I  observe,  with  a  certain  pride,  that  you  have  followed 
my  advice,  and  that  you  think  in  that  fine  language 
which  you  recite  so  admirably,  in  place  of  translating  the 
patois  into  French,  which  deprives  it  of  its  fulness  and 
fairness.  I  thank  you  a  thousand  times  for  your  very 
flattering  epistle.  I  am  too  happy  to  expostulate  with 
you  seriously  as  to  the  gracious  things  you  have  said  to 
me ;  ray  name  will  pass  to  posterity  in  the  works  of  my 
friends ;  the  glory  of  having  been  loved  by  you  goes  for 
a  great  deal." 

The  time  at  length  arrived  for  the  presentation  of  the 
testimonial  of  Toulouse  to  Jasmin.  It  consisted  of  a 
branch  of  laurel  in  gold.  The  artist  who  fashioned  it 
was  charged  to  put  his  best  work  into  the  jjolden  laurel, 


114  Jasmin. 

so  that  it  might  be  a  chef-d'oeuvre  worthy  of  the  city 
which  conferred  it,  and  of  being  treasured  in  the  museum 
of  their  adopted  poet.  The  work  was  indeed  admirably 
executed.  The  stem  was  rough,  as  in  nature,  though 
the  leaves  were  beautifully  polished.  It  had  a  ribbon  del- 
icately ornamented,  with  the  words  "  Toulouse  aJasminy 

When  the  work  was  finished  and  placed  in  its  case,  the 
mayor  desired  to  send  it  to  Jasmin  by  a  trusty  messen- 
ger. He  selected  Mademoiselle  Gasc,  assisted  by  her 
father,  advocate  and  member  of  the  municipal  council, 
to  present  the  tribute  to  Jasmin.  It  ought  to  have  been 
a  fete  day  for  the  people  of  Agen,  when  their  illustri- 
ous townsman,  though  a  barber,  was  about  to  receive  so 
cordial  an  appreciation  of  his  poetical  genius  from  the 
learned  city  of  Toulouse.  It  ought  also  to  have  been  a 
fete  day  for  Jasmin  himself. 

But,  alas,  an  unhappy  coincidence  occurred  which  sad- 
dened the  day  that  ought  to  have  been  a  day  of  triumph 
for  the  poet  1  His  mother  was  dying.  When  Mademoiselle 
Gasc,  accompanied  by  her  father,  the  Mayor  of  Agen, 
and  other  friends  of  Jasmin,  entered  the  shop,  they  were 
informed  that  he  was  by  the  bedside  of  his  mother,  who 
was  at  death's  door.  The  physician,  who  was  consulted 
as  to  her  state,  said  that  there  might  only  be  sufficient 
time  for  Jasmin  to  receive  the  deputation. 

He  accordingly  came  out  for  a  few  moments  from  his 
mother's  bedside.  M.  Gasc  explained  the  object  of  the 
visit,  and  read  to  Jasmin  the  gracious  letter  of  the  Mayor 
of  Toulouse,  concluding  as  follows : 

"  I  thank  you,  in  the  name  of  the  city  of  Toulouse, 
for  the  fine  poem  which  you  have  dedicated  to  us.  This 
branch  of  laurel  will  remind  you  of  the  youthful  and 
beautiful  Muse  which  has  inspired  you  with  such  charm- 


Jdsmm  at  Toulouse.  115 

The  Mayor  of  Agen  here  introduced  Mademoiselle 
Gasc,  who,  in  her  turn,  said : 

"  And  I  also,  sir,  am  most  happy  and  proud  of  the 
mission  which  has  been  intrusted  to  me." 

Then  she  presented  him  with  the  casket  which  con- 
tained the  golden  laurel.  Jasmin  responded  in  the  lines 
entitled  "  Yesterday  and  To-day,"  from  which  the  follow- 
ing words  may  be  quoted : 

^''Yesterday!  Thanks,  Toulouse,  for  our  old  language 
and  for  my  poetry.  Your  beautiful  golden  branch  en- 
nobles both.  And  you  who  offer  it  to  me,  gracious  mes- 
senger— queen  of  song  and  queen  of  hearts — tell  your 
city  of  my  perfect  happiness,  and  that  I  never  anticipated 
such  an  honor  even  in  my  most  golden  dreams. 

''''To-day!  Fascinated  by  the  laurel  which  Toulouse 
has  sent  me,  and  which  fills  my  heart  with  joy,  I  cannot 
forget,  my  dear  young  lady,  the  sorrow  which  over- 
whelms me  —  the  fatal  illness  of  my  mother  —  which 
makes  me  fear  that  the  most  joyful  day  of  life  will  also 
be  the  most  sorrowful." 

Jasmin's  alarms  were  justified.  His  prayers  were  of 
no  avail.  His  mother  died  with  her  hand  in  his  shortly 
after  the  deputation  had  departed.  Her  husband  had 
preceded  her  to  the  tomb  a  few  years  before.  He  al- 
ways had  a  firm  presentiment  that  he  should  be  carried 
in  the  arm-chair  to  the  hospital,  "  where  all  the  Jasmins 
die."  But  Jasmin  did  his  best  to  save  his  father  from 
that  indignity.  He  had  already  broken  the  arm-chair, 
and  the  old  tailor  died  peacefully  in  the  arms  of  his  son. 

Some  four  months  after  the  recitation  of  "  Francon- 
nctte"  at  Toulouse,  Jasmin  resumed  liis  readings  in  the 
cause  of  charity.  In  October,  1840,  he  visited  Oleron, 
and  was  received  with  the  usual  enthusiasm  ;  and  on  his 
return  to  Pan  he  passed  the  obelisk  erected  to  Despour- 


116  Jasmin, 

rins,  the  Burns  of  the  Pyrenees.  At  Pan  he  recited  his 
"  Franconnette  "  to  an  immense  audience  amid  frenzies 
of  applause.  It  was  alleged  that  the  people  of  the  Pyre- 
ncan  country  were  prosaic  and  indifferent  to  art.  But 
M.  Dugenne,  in  the  Memorial  des  Pyrenees,  said  that  it 
only  wanted  such  a  bewitching  poet  as  Jasmin — with  his 
vibratino:  and  maijical  voice — to  rouse  them  and  set  their 
minds  on  fire. 

Another  writer,  M.  Alfred  Danger,  paid  him  a  still 
more  delicate  compliment. 

"  His  poetry,"  he  said,  "  is  not  merely  the  poetry  of 
illusions  ;  it  is  alive,  and  inspires  every  heart.  His  ad- 
mirable delicacy !  His  profound  tact  in  every  verse  ! 
What  aristocratic  poet  could  better  express  in  a  higher 
degree  the  politeness  of  the  heart,  the  truest  of  all  po- 
liteness." * 

Jasmin  did  not  seem  to  be  at  all  elated  by  these  eulo- 
giums.  When  he  had  finished  his  recitations  he  returned 
to  Agen,  sometimes  on  foot,  sometimes  in  the  diligence, 
and  quietly  resumed  his  daily  work.  His  success  as  a 
poet  never  induced  him  to  resign  his  more  humble  occu- 
pation. Although  he  received  some  returns  from  the  sale 
of  his  poems,  he  felt  himself  more  independent  by  rely- 
ing upon  the  income  derived  from  his  own  business. 

His  increasing  reputation  never  engendered  in  him,  as 
is  too  often  the  case  with  self-taught  geniuses  who  sud- 
denly rise  into  fame,  a  supercilious  contempt  for  the  or- 
dinary transactions  of  life.  "After  all,"  he  said,  *'  con- 
tentment is  better  than  riches." 


*  "  La  politesse  du  coeiir,"  a  French  expression  which  can  scarcely 
be  translated  into  English;  just  as  "gentleman  "  has  no  precise 
equivalent  in  French. 


Jasmines  Visit  to  l^aris,  117 


CHAPTER  XI. 

JASMIN'S  VISIT  TO  PARIS. 

Jasmin  had  been  so  often  advised  to  visit  Paris  and 
test  his  powers  there  that  at  length  he  determined  to 
proceed  to  the  capital  of  France.  It  is  true  he  had  been 
eulogized  in  the  criticisms  of  Sainte-Beuve,  Leonce  de 
Lavergne,  Charles  Nodier,  and  Charles  de  Mazade;  but 
he  desired  to  make  the  personal  acquaintance  of  some  of 
these  illustrious  persons  as  well  as  to  see  his  son,  who  was 
then  settled  in  Paris.  It  was,  therefore,  in  some  respects 
a  visit  of  paternal  affection  as  well  as  literary  reputation, 
lie  set  out  for  Paris  in  the  month  of  May,  1842. 

Jasmin  was  a  boy  in  his  heart  and  feelings,  then  as 
always.  Indeed,  he  never  ceased  to  be  a  boy — in  bis 
manners,  his  gayety,  his  artlessness,  and  his  enjoyment 
of  new  pleasures.  What  a  succession  of  wonders  to  him 
was  Paris  —  its  streets,  its  boulevards,  its  Tuileries,  its 
Louvre,  its  Arc  de  Triomphe  —  reminding  him  of  the 
Revolution  and  the  wars  of  the  first  Napoleon. 

Accompanied  by  his  son  fidouard,  he  spent  about  a 
week  in  visiting  the  most  striking  memorials  of  the  capi- 
tal. They  visited  together  the  Place  de  la  Concorde, 
the  Hotel  de  Ville,  Notre  Dame,  the  Madeleine,  the 
Champs  Elysees,  and  most  of  the  other  sights.  At  the 
Colonne  Vend6mc,  Jasmin  raised  his  head,  looked  up, 
and  stood  erect,  proud  of  the  glories  of  France.  He  saw 
all  these  things  for  the  first  time,  but  they  had  long  been 
associated  with  bis  recollections  of  the  past. 


118  Jasmin. 

There  are  "  country  cousins  "  in  Paris  as  well  as  in 
London.  They  are  known  by  their  dress,  their  manners, 
their  amazement  at  all  they  see.  When  Jasmin  stood 
before  the  Yendome  Column,  he  extended  his  hand  as  if 
he  were  about  to  recite  one  of  his  poems.  "  Oh,  my 
son,"  he  exclaimed,  "such  glories  as  these  are  truly  mag- 
nificent!" The  son,  who  was  familiar  with  the  glories, 
was  rather  disposed  to  laugh.  He  desired,  for  decorum's 
sake,  to  repress  his  father's  exclamations.  He  saw  the 
people  standing  about  to  hear  his  father's  words.  "  Come," 
said  the  young  man,  "  let  us  go  to  the  Madeleine  and  see 
that  famous  church."  "  Ah,  Edouard,"  said  Jasmin,  "  I 
can  see  well  enough  that  you  are  not  a  poet ;  not  you 
indeed !" 

During  his  visit  Jasmin  wrote  regularly  to  his  wife  and 
friends  at  Agen,  giving  them  his  impressions  of  Paris. 
His  letters  were  full  of  his  usual  simplicity,  brightness, 
boyishness,  and  enthusiasm.  "  What  wonderful  things 
I  have  already  seen,"  he  said,  in  one  of  his  letters,  "  and 
how  many  more  have  I  to  see  to-morrow  and  the  follow- 
ing days.  M.  Dumon,  Minister  of  Public  Works  (Jas- 
min's compatriot  and  associate  at  the  Academy  of  Agen), 
has  given  me  letters  of  admission  to  Versailles,  Saint- 
Cloud,  Meudon — in  fact,  to  all  the  public  places  that  I 
have  for  so  long  a  time  been  burning  to  see  and  admire." 

After  a  week's  tramping  about  and  seeing  the  most 
attractive  sights  of  the  capital.  Jasmin  bethought  him  of 
his  literary  friends  and  critics.  The  first  person  he 
called  upon  was  Sainte-Beuve,  at  the  Mazarin  Library,  of 
which  he  was  director.  "  He  received  me  like  a  brother," 
said  Jasmin,  "  and  embraced  me.  He  said  the  most  flat- 
tering things  about  my  *  Franconnette,'  and  considered 
it  an  improvement  upon  '  L'Aveugle.'  '  Continue,'  he 
said,  *  my  good  friend,  and  you  will  take  a  place  in  the 


Jasminh  Visit  to  Paris.  119 

brij^iitest  poetry  of  our  epoch.'  In  showing  me  over  the 
shelves  in  the  library  containing  the  works  of  the  old 
poets,  which  are  still  read  and  admired,  he  said,  '  Like 
them,  you  will  never  die.' " 

Jasmin  next  called  upon  Charles  Nodier  and  Jules 
Janin.  Nodier  was  delighted  to  see  his  old  friend,  and, 
after  a  long  conversation,  Jasmin  said  that  "  he  left  him 
with  tears  in  his  eyes."  Janin  complimented  him  upon 
bis  works,  especially  upon  his  masterly  use  of  the  Gascon 
language.  "  Go  on,"  he  said,  "  and  write  your  poetry  in 
the  patois  which  always  appears  to  me  so  delicious.  You 
possess  the  talent  necessary  for  the  purpose ;  it  is  so 
genuine  and  rare." 

The  Parisian  journals  mentioned  Jasmin's  appearance 
in  the  capital ;  the  most  distinguished  critics  had  highly 
approved  of  his  works ;  and  before  long  he  had  become 
the  hero  of  the  day.  The  modest  hotel  in  which  he 
stayed  during  his  visit  was  crowded  with  visitors.  Peers, 
ministers,  deputies,  journalists,  members  of  the  French 
Academy,  came  to  salute  the  author  of  the  Papillotos. 

The  proprietor  of  the  hotel  began  to  think  that  he  was 
entertaining  some  prince  in  disguise — that  he  must  have 
come  from  some  foreign  court  to  negotiate  secretly  some 
lofty  questions  of  State.  But  when  he  was  entertained 
at  a  banquet  by  the  barbers  and  hair-dressers  of  Paris 
the  opinions  of  "mine  host"  underwent  a  sudden  altera- 
tion. He  informed  Jasmin's  son  that  he  could  scarcely 
believe  that  ministers  of  State  would  bother  themselves 
with  a  country  peruke-maker  !  The  son  laughed ;  he  told 
the  maitre  d'hotel  that  his  bill  would  be  paid,  and  that 
was  all  he  need  to  care  for. 

Jasmin  was  not,  however,  without  his  detractors.  Even 
in  his  own  country  many  who  had  laughed  heartily  and 
wept  bitterly  while  listening  to  his  voice,  feared  lest  they 


120  •  Jasmin. 

might  have  given  vent  to  their  emotions  against  the 
legitimate  rules  of  poetry.  Some  of  the  Parisian  critics 
were  of  opinion  that  he  was  immensely  overrated.  They 
attributed  the  success  of  the  Gascon  poet  to  the  liveli- 
ness of  the  Southerners,  who  were  excited  by  the  merest 
trifles  ;  and  they  suspected  that  Jasmin,  instead  of  being 
a  poet,  was  but  a  clever  gasconader,  differing  only  from 
the  rest  of  his  class  by  speaking  in  verse  instead  of  prose. 

Now  that  Jasmin  was  in  the  capital,  his  real  friends, 
who  knew  his  poetical  powers,  desired  him  to  put  an  end 
to  these  prejudices  by  reciting  before  a  competent  tribu- 
nal some  of  his  most  admired  verses.  He  would  have 
had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  reception  at  the  Tuileries. 
He  had  already  received  several  kind  favors  from  the  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Orleans  while  visiting  Agen.  The  duke 
had  presented  him  with  a  ring  set  in  brilliants,  and  the 
duchess  had  given  him  a  gold  pin  in  the  shape  of  a  flow- 
er, with  a  fine  pearl  surrounded  by  diamonds,  in  memory 
of  their  visit.  It  was  this  circumstance  which  induced 
him  to  compose  his  poem  "La  Bago  et  L'Esplingo" 
(La  Bague  et  L^Epingle)^  which  he  dedicated  to  the 
Duchess  of  Orleans. 

But  Jasmin  aimed  higher  than  the  royal  family.  His 
principal  desire  was  to  attend  the  French  Academy ;  but 
as  the  Academy  did  not  permit  strangers  to  address  their 
meetings,  Jasmin  was  under  the  necessity  of  adopting  an- 
other method.  The  salons  were  open.  M.  Leonce  de 
Lavergne  said  to  him,  "  You  are  now  classed  among  our 
French  poets;  give  us  a  recitation  in  Gascon."  Jasmin 
explained  that  he  could  not  give  his  reading  before  the 
members  of  the  Academy.  "That  difficulty,"  said  his 
friend,  "can  soon  be  got  over;  I  will  arrange  for  a  meeting 
at  the  salon  of  one  of  our  most  distinguished  members." 

It  was  accordingly  arranged  that  Jasmin  should  give  a 


Jasmin's  Visit  to  Paris.  121 

reading  at  the  house  of  M.  Augustin  Thierry,  one  of  the 
trreatcst  of  living  historians.  The  elite  of  Parisian  society 
were  present  on  the  occasion,  including  Ampere,  Nizard, 
Burnouf,  Ballanche,  Villemain,  and  many  distinguished 
personages  of  literary  celehrity. 

A  word  as  to  Jasmin's  distinguished  entertainer,  M. 
Augustin  Thierry.  He  had  written  the  History  of  the 
Conquest  of  England  by  the  Normans — an  original  work 
of  great  value,  though  since  overshadowed  by  the  more 
minute  History  of  the  Norman  Conquest,  by  Professor 
Freeman.  Yet  Thierry's  work  is  still  of  great  inter- 
est, displaying  gifts  of  the  highest  and  rarest  kind  in 
felicitous  combination.  It  shows  the  careful  plodding  of 
the  antiquary,  the  keen  vision  of  the  man  of  the  world, 
the  passionate  fervor  of  the  politician,  the  calm  dignity 
of  the  philosophic  thinker,  and  the  grandeur  of  the  epic 
poet.  Thierry  succeeded  in  exhuming  the  dry  bones  of 
history,  clothing  them  for  us  anew,  and  presenting  almost 
visibly  the  "age  and  body  of  the  times"  long  since  passed 
away. 

Thierry  had  also  written  his  Narratives  of  the  Mero- 
vingian Times,  and  revived  almost  a  lost  epoch  in  the 
early  history  of  France.  In  writing  out  these  and  other 
works — the  results  of  immense  labor  and  research — he 
partly  lost  his  eyesight,  lie  travelled  into  Switzerland 
and  the  South  of  France  in  the  company  of  M.  Fauriel. 
He  could  read  no  more,  and  towards  the  end  of  the  year 
the  remains  of  his  sight  entirely  disappeared.  He  had 
now  to  read  with  the  eyes  of  others,  and  to  dictate  in- 
stead of  writing.  In  his  works  he  was  assisted  by  the 
friendship  of  M.  Armand  Carrel,  and  the  affection  and 
judgment  of  his  loving  young  wife. 

He  proceeded  with  courage,  and  was  able  to  complete 
the  fundamental  basis  of  the  two  Frankish  dynasties, 
c 


122  Jasinin. 

He  was  about  to  follow  his  investigations  into  the  history 
of  the  Goths,  Huns,  and  Vandals,  and  other  races  which 
had  taken  part  in  the  dismemberment  of  the  empire. 
"  However  extended  these  labors,"  he  says,*  "  my  com- 
plete blindness  could  not  have  prevented  my  going  through 
them ;  I  was  resigned  as  much  as  a  courageous  man  can 
be ;  I  had  made  a  friendship  with  darkness.  But  other 
trials  came  :  acute  sufferings  and  the  decline  of  my  health 
announced  a  nervous  disease  of  the  most  serious  kind. 
I  \^as  obliged  to  confess  myself  conquered,  and  to  save, 
if  it  was  still  time,  the  last  remains  of  my  health." 

The  last  words  of  Thierry's  Autobiographical  Preface 
are  most  touching:  "If,  as  I  delight  in  thinking,  the  in- 
terest of  science  is  counted  in  the  number  of  great  na- 
tional interests,  I  have  given  my  country  all  that  the  sol- 
dier mutilated  on  the  field  of  battle  gives  her.  Whatever 
may  be  the  fate  of  my  labors,  this  example  I  hope  will 
not  be  lost.  I  would  wish  it  to  serve  to  combat  the  spe- 
cies of  moral  weakness  which  is  the  disease  of  the  pres- 
ent generation ;  to  bring  back  into  the  straight  road  of 
life  some  of  those  enervated  souls  that  complain  of  want- 
ing faith,  that  know  not  what  to  do,  and  seek  everywhere, 
without  finding  it,  an  object  of  worship  and  admiration. 
Why  say  with  so  much  bitterness  that  in  this  world,  con- 
stituted as  it  is,  there  is  no  air  for  all  lungs,  no  employ- 
ment for  all  minds?  Is  there  not  opportunity  for  calm 
and  serious  study  ?  and  is  not  that  a  refuge,  a  hope,  a 
field  within  the  reach  of  all  of  us?  W^ith  it,  evil  days 
are  passed  over  without  their  weight  being  felt;  every 
one  can  make  his  own  destiny  ;  every  one  can  employ 
his  life  nobly.     This  is  what  I  have  done,  and  would  do 


*  Autobiographical  Preface  to  the  Narratives  of  the  Merovivgian 
Times. 


Jasmines  Visit  to  Paris.  123 

ai^ain  if  I  had  to  recommence  my  career:  I  would  choose 
that  which  has  brought  me  to  where  I  am.  Blind,  and 
suffering  witliout  hope  and  almost  without  intermission, 
I  may  give  this  testimony,  which  from  me  will  not  ap- 
pear suspicious :  there  is  something  in  this  world  better 
than  sensual  enjoyments,  better  than  fortune,  better  than 
health  itself — it  is  devotion  to  science." 


124  Jasmin. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
JASMIN'S  RECITATIONS  IN  PARIS. 

It  was  a  solemn  and  anxious  moment  for  Jasmin  when 
lie  appeared  before  this  select  party  of  the  most  distin- 
guished literary  men  in  Paris.  He  was  no  doubt  placed 
at  a  considerable  disadvantage,  for  his  judges  did  not 
even  know  his  language.  He  had  frequently  recited  to 
audiences  who  did  not  know  Gascon  ;  and  on  such  occa- 
sions he  used,  before  commencing  his  recitation,  to  give 
in  French  a  short  sketch  of  his  poem,  with  an  explana- 
tion of  some  of  the  more  difficult  Gascon  words.  This 
was  all ;  his  mimic  talent  did  the  rest.  His  gestures 
were  noble  and  well  marked ;  his  eyes  were  flashing,  but 
they  became  languishing  when  he  represented  tender  sen- 
timents. Then  his  voice  changed  entirely,  often  sudden- 
ly, following  the  expression  of  grief  and  joy.  There 
were  now  smiles,  now  tears  in  his  voice. 

It  was  remarkable  that  Jasmin  should  first  recite  be- 
fore the  blind  historian  "The  Blind  Girl  of  Castel-Cuille." 
It  may  be  that  he  thought  it  his  best  poem  within  the 
compass  of  time  allotted  to  him,  and  that  it  might  best 
please  his  audience.  When  he  began  to  speak  in  Gas- 
con he  was  heard  with  interest.  A  laugh  was,  indeed, 
raised  by  a  portion  of  his  youthful  hearers,  but  Jasmin 
flashed  his  penetrating  eye  upon  them,  and  there  was  no 
more  laughter.  When  he  reached  the  tenderest  part  he 
gave  way  to  his  emotion  and  wept.     Tears  are  as  conta- 


Jasmines  Recitations  in  Paris,  125 

gious  as  smiles ;  and  even  the  academicians,  who  may  not 
have  wept  with  Racliel,  wept  witli  Jasmin.  It  was  the 
eclio  of  sorrow  to  sorrow ;  the  words  wliich  blind  despair 
had  evoked  from  the  blind  Margaret. 

All  eyes  were  turned  to  Thierry  as  Jasmin  described 
tlie  girl's  blindness.  The  poet  omitted  some  of  the  more 
painful  lines,  which  might  have  occasioned  sorrow  to  his 
kind  entertainer.     These  lines,  for  instance,  in  Gascon  : 

<' Jour  per  aoutres,  toutjour!  ct  per  jou,  malhurouzo, 
Toutjoiir  iiey!  toutjour  \\hy\ 
Que  fay  uegro  16u  d'el!     Oh!  quo  raoun  anio  <5s  tristo! 
Oh!  que  souflfri,  moun  Diou!   Couro  bfeu  douu,  Batisto !" 

or,  as  translated  by  Longfellow  : 

"Day  for  the  others  ever,  hut  for  me 
Forever  night!   forever  night! 
When  ho  is  gone,  'tis  dark!  my  soul  is  sad! 
I  suffer !     O  my  God !  come,  make  me  ghid !" 

Wlien  Jasmin  omitted  this  verse,  Thierry,  who  had 
listened  with  rapt  attention,  interrupted  liim.  "Poet," 
he  said,  "  you  have  omitted  a  passage ;  read  the  poem  as 
you  have  written  it."  Jasmin  paused,  and  then  added 
the  omitted  passage.  "Can  it  be?"  said  the  historian. 
"  Surely  you,  who  can  describe  so  vividly  the  agony  of 
those  who  cannot  see,  must  yourself  have  suffered  blind- 
ness!"  The  words  of  Jasmin  might  have  been  spoken 
by  Thierry  himself,  who  in  his  hours  of  sadness  often 
said,  "  I  see  nothing  but  darkness  to-day." 

At  the  end  of  his  recital  Jasmin  was  much  applauded. 
Ampere,  who  had  followed  him  closely  in  the  French 
translation  of  his  poem,  said,  "  If  Jasmin  had  never 
written  verse  it  would  be  worth  going  a  hundred  leagues 
to  listen  to  his  prose."     What  charmed  his  auditors  most 


126  Jasmin. 

was  his  frankness.  Pic  would  even  ask  them  to  listen  to 
what  he  thought  his  best  verses.  "  This  passage,"  he 
would  say,  *'  is  very  fine."  Then  he  read  it  afresh,  and 
was  applauded.  He  liked  to  be  cheered.  "Applaud! 
applaud !"  he  said  at  the  end  of  his  reading,  "  the  clap- 
ping of  your  hands  will  be  heard  at  Agen." 

After  the  recitation  an  interesting  conversation  took 
place.  Jasmin  was  asked  how  it  was  that  he  first  began 
to  write  poetry ;  for  every  one  likes  to  know  the  begin- 
nings of  self-culture.  He  thereupon  entered  into  a  brief 
history  of  his  life :  how  he  had  been  born  poor;  how  his 
grandfather  had  died  at  the  hospital ;  and  how  he  had 
been  brought  up  by  charity.  He  described  his  limited 
education  and  his  admission  to  the  barber's  shop  ;  his 
reading  of  Florian ;  his  determination  to  do  something 
of  a  similar  kind  ;  his  first  efforts,  his  progress,  and  event- 
ually his  success.  He  said  that  his  object  was  to  rely 
upon  nature  and  truth,  and  invest  the  whole  with  imag- 
ination and  sensibility,  that  delicate  touch  which  vibrated 
through  all  the  poems  he  had  written.  His  auditors 
were  riveted  by  his  sparkling  and  brilliant  conversation. 

This  seance  at  M.  Thierry's  completed  the  triumph  of 
Jasmin  at  Paris.  The  doors  of  the  most  renowned  sa- 
lons were  thrown  open  to  him.  The  most  brilliant  so- 
ciety in  the  capital  listened  to  him  and  feted  him.  Ma- 
dame de  Remusat  sent  him  a  present  of  a  golden  pen, 
with  the  words,  "  I  admire  your  beautiful  poetry ;  I  nev- 
er forget  you;  accept  this  little  gift  as  a  token  of  my  sin- 
cere admiration."  Lamartine  described  Jasmin,  perhaps 
with  some  exaggeration,  as  the  truest  and  most  original 
of  modern  poets. 

Much  of  Jasmin's  work  was  no  doubt  the  result  of  in- 
tuition, "  for  the  poet  is  born,  not  made."  He  was  not 
so  much  the  poet  of  art  as  of  instinct.     Yet  M.  Charles 


Jasmin'' s  Recitations  in  Paris.  127 

de  Mazade  said  of  him,  **  Left  to  himself,  without  study, 
he  carried  art  to  perfection."  His  defect  of  literary  ed- 
ucation perhaps  helped  him  by  leaving  him  to  his  own 
natural  instincts.  He  himself  said,  with  respect  to  the 
perusal  of  books,  "  I  constantly  read  Lafontaine,  Victor 
Hugo,  Lamartine,  and  Beranger."  It  is  thus  probable 
that  he  may  have  been  influenced  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent by  his  study  of  the  works  of  others. 

Before  Jasmin  left  Paris  he  had  the  honor  of  being 
invited  to  visit  the  royal  family  at  the  palace  of  Neuilly, 
a  favorite  residence  of  Louis  Philippe.  Tlie  invitation 
was  made  through  General  de  Rumigny,  who  came  to  see 
the  poet  at  his  hotel  for  the  purpose.  Jasmin  had  al- 
ready made  the  acquaintance  of  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Orleans  while  at  Agen  a  few  years  before.  His  visit 
to  Neuilly  was  made  on  May  24,  1842.  He  was  gra- 
ciously received  by  the  royal  family.  The  Duchess  of 
Orleans  took  her  seat  beside  him.  She  read  the  verse 
in  Gascon  which  had  been  engraved  on  the  pedestal  of 
the  statue  at  Nerac,  erected  to  the  memory  of  Henry  IV. 
The  poet  was  surprised  as  well  as  charmed  by  her  conde- 
scension. "  What,  madame,"  he  exclaimed,  "  you  speak 
the  patois?"  "El  jou  tabe "  (and  I  also),  said  Louis 
Philippe,  who  came  and  joined  the  princess  and  the  poet. 
Never  was  Jasmin  more  pleased  than  when  he  heard  the 
words  of  the  King  at  such  a  moment. 

Jasmin  was  placed  quite  at  his  ease  by  this  gracious 
reception.  The  King  and  the  duchess  united  in  desir- 
ing him  to  recite  some  of  his  poetry.  He  at  once  com- 
plied with  their  request,  and  recited,  his  "Caritat"  and 
"  L' Abuglo  "  (The  Blind  Girl).  After  this  the  party  en- 
gaged in  conversation.  Jasmin,  by  no  means  a  courtier, 
spoke  of  the  past,  of  Henry  IV.,  and  especially  of  Na- 
poleon— "  L'Ampereur,"  as  he  described  him.     Jasmin 


128  Jasmin. 

had,  in  the  first  vohimc  of  liis  PapillotoSj  written  some 
satirical  pieces  on  the  court  and  ministers  of  Louis  Phi- 
lippe. His  friends  wished  him  to  omit  these  pieces  from 
the  new  edition  of  his  works,  which  was  about  to  be  pub- 
lished, but  he  would  not  consent  to  do  so.  "  I  must 
give  my  works,"  he  said,  "just  as  they  were  composed; 
their  suppression  would  be  a  negation  of  myself  and  an 
act  of  adulation  unworthy  of  any  true-minded  man." 
Accordingly  they  remained  in  the  Pojnllotos. 

Before  he  left  the  royal  party  the  Duchess  of  Orleans 
presented  Jasmin  with  a  golden  pin,  ornamented  with 
pearls  and  diamonds  ;  and  the  King  afterwards  sent  him, 
as  a  souvenir  of  his  visit  to  the  Court,  a  beautiful  gold 
watch,  ornamented  with  diamonds.  Notwithstanding 
the  pleasure  of  this  visit.  Jasmin,  as  with  a  prophetic  eye, 
saw  the  marks  of  sorrow  upon  the  countenance  of  the 
King,  who  was  already  experiencing  the  emptiness  of 
human  glory.  Scarcely  had  Jasmin  left  the  palace  when 
he  wrote  to  his  friend  Madame  de  Virens,  at  Agen  :  "  On 
that  noble  face  I  could  see,  beneath  the  smile,  the  ex- 
pression of  sadness ;  so  that  from  to-day  I  can  no  longer 
say, '  Happy  as  a  king.'  " 

Another  entertainment,  quite  in  contrast  with  his  visit 
to  the  King,  was  the  banquet  which  Jasmin  received  from 
the  barbers  and  hair-dressers  of  Paris.  He  there  recited 
the  verses  which  he  had  written  in  their  honor.  M.  Bois- 
joslin*  says  that  half  the  barbers  of  Paris  are  Iberiens. 
For  the  last  three  centuries,  in  all  the  legends  and  anec- 
dotes, the  barber  is  always  a  Gascon.  The  actor,  the 
singer,  often  came>from  Provence,  but  much  oftener  from 
Gascony ;  that  is  the  country  of  la  parole. 

During  Jasmin's  month  at  Paris  he  had  been  unable 

*  Les  Penphs  de  la  France  :  Ethnographie  Nationale.     (Didier.) 


Jasmines  liecitations  in  Paris.  129 

to  visit  many  of  the  leading  literary  men ;  but  he  was 
especially  anxious  to  see  M.  Chateaubriand,  the  father  of 
modern  French  literature.  Jasmin  was  fortunate  in  find- 
ing Chateaubriand  at  home,  af  112  Rue  du  Bac.  He  re- 
ceived Jasmin  with  cordiality.  "I  know  you  intimately 
already,"  said  the  author  of  the  Genius  of  Christianity ; 
"  my  friends  Ampere  and  Fauriel  have  often  spoken  of 
you.  They  understand  you,  they  love  and  admire  you. 
They  acknowledge  your  great  talent,  thougli  they  have 
long  since  bade  their  adieu  to  poetry  ;  you  know  poets  are 
very  wayward,"  he  added,  with  a  sly  smile.  "You  have 
a  happy  privilege,  my  dear  sir ;  when  our  age  turns  prosy 
you  have  but  to  take  your  lyre,  in  the  sweet  country  of 
the  South,  and  resuscitate  the  glory  of  the  Troubadours. 
They  tell  me  that  in  one  of  your  recent  journeys  you 
evoked  enthusiastic  applause  and  entered  many  towns 
carpeted  with  flowers.  Ah,  mow  Diea^wo  can  never  do 
that  with  our  prose  !" 

"  Ah,  dear  sir,"  said  Jasmin,  **  you  have  achieved  much 
more  glory  than  I.  Without  mentioning  the  profound 
respect  with  which  all  France  regards  you,  posterity  and 
the  world  will  glorify  you." 

"Glory,  indeed,"  replied  Chateaubriand,  with  a  sad 
smile.  "  What  is  that  but  a  flower  that  fades  and  dies? 
But  speak  to  me  of  your  sweet  South  ;  it  is  beautiful.  I 
think  of  it  as  of  Italy  ;  indeed,  it  sometimes  seems  to  me 
better  than  that  glorious  country  !" 

Notwithstanding  his  triumphant  career  at  Paris,  Jas- 
min often  thoufjht  of  Aijen,  and  of  his  friends  and  rela- 
tives  at  home.  "  Oh,  my  wife,  my  children,  my  guitar, 
my  workshop,  my  papillotos,  my  pleasant  Gravier,  my 
dear  good  friends,  with  what  pleasure  I  shall  again  see 
you!"  That  was  his  frequent  remark  in  his  letters  to 
Agen.  He  was  not  buoyed  up  by  the  praises  he  liad  re- 
6* 


130  Jasmin. 

ceived.  He  remained,  as  usual,  perfectly  simple  in  his 
thoughts,  ways,  and  habits;  and  when  the  month  had 
elapsed  he  returned  joyfully  to  his  daily  work  at  Agen. 
Jasmin  afterwards  described  the  recollections  of  his 
visit  in  his  "  Voyage  to  Paris  "  {Moun  Bouyatage  a  Paris). 
It  was  a  happy  piece  of  poetry,  full  of  recollections  of 
the  towns  and  departments  through  which  he  journeyed, 
and  finally  of  his  arrival  in  Paris.  Then  the  wonders 
of  the  capital,  the  crowds  in  the  streets,  the  soldiers,  the 
palaces,  the  statues  and  columns,  the  Tuileries  tvherc  the 
Emperor  had  lived. 

"  I  pass  aud  repass — not  a  soul  I  know ; 
Not  oue  Agenaise  in  this  hurrying  crowd; 
No  one  sahites  or  shakes  me  by  the  hand." 

And  yet,  he  says,  what  a  grand  world  it  is !  how  taste- 
ful !  how  fashionable  !  There  seem  to  be  no  poor.  They 
are  all  ladies  and  gentlemen.  Each  day  is  a  Sabbath ; 
and  under  the  trees  the  children  play  about  the  fountains. 
So  different  from  Agen !  He  then  speaks  of  his  inter- 
view with  Louis  Philippe  and  the  royal  family,  his  recital 
of  "  L'Abuglo  "  before  "  great  ladies,  great  writers,  lords, 
ministers,  and  great  savants ;"  and  he  concludes  his  poem 
with  the  words,  "  Paris  makes  me  proud,  but  Agen  makes 
me  happy." 

The  poem  is  full  of  the  impressions  of  his  mind  at  the 
time — simple,  clear,  naive.  It  is  not  a  connected  narra- 
tive, nor  a  description  of  what  he  saw,  but  it  was  full  of 
admiration  of  Paris,  the  centre  of  France,  and,  as  French- 
men think,  of  civilization.  It  is  the  simple  wonder  of  the 
country  cousin  who  sees  Paris  for  the  first  time — the  city 
that  had  so  long  been  associated  with  his  recollections  of 
the  past.  And  perhaps  he  seized  its  more  striking  points 
more  vividly  than  any  regular  denizen  of  the  capital. 


Jasmin  and  his  English  Critics.  131 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
JASMIN  AND  HIS  ENGLISH  CRITICS. 

Jasmin'*  visit  to  Paris  in  1842  made  his  works  more 
extensively  known,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  His  name 
was  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Parisian  journals,  and 
Frenchmen  north  of  the  Loire  began  to  pride  themselves 
on  their  Gascon  poet.  His  "Blind  Girl"  had  been  trans- 
lated into  English,  Spanish,  and  Italian.  The  principal 
English  literary  journal,  the  Athenceum,  called  attention 
to  his  works  a  few  months  after  his  appearance  in  Paris.* 
The  editor  introduced  the  subject  in  the  following  words: 

"  On  the  banks  of  the  Garonne,  in  the  picturesque  and 
ancient  town  of  Agen,  there  exists  at  this  moment  a  man 
of  genius  of  the  first  order — a  rustic  Beranger,  a  Victor 
lingo,  a  Lamartine — a  poet  full  of  fire,  originality,  and 
feeling — an  actor  superior  to  any  now  in  France,  except- 
ing Rachel,  whom  lie  resembles  both  in  his  powers  of 
declamation  and  his  fortunes.  He  is  not  unknown — he 
is  no  mute,  inglorious  Milton ;  for  the  first  poets,  states- 
men, and  men  of  letters  in  France  have  been  to  visit  him. 
His  parlor  chimney-piece,  behind  his  barber's  shop,  is 
covered  with  offerings  to  his  genius  from  royalty  and 
rank.  His  smiling,  dark-eyed  wife,  exhibits  to  the  curi- 
ous the  tokens  of  her  husband's  acknowledged   merit; 

*  Tlie  Alheiuenm,  November  6, 1842.  "  The  Curl-papers  of  Jas- 
min, tlie  Barber  of  Agen"  {Las  Pnpilldtos  de  Jasmin^  Coiffeur). 


132  tfasmin. 

and  gold  and  jewels  shine  in  the  eyes  of  the  astonished 
stranger,  who,  having  heard  his  name,  is  led  to  stroll 
carelessly  into  the  shop,  attracted  by  a  gorgeous  blue 
cloth  hung  outside,  on  which  he  may  have  read  the  words 
'  Jasmin,  Coiffeur/  " 

After  mentioning  the  golden  laurels,  and  the  gifts 
awarded  to  him  by  those  who  acknowledged  his  genius, 
the  editor  proceeds  to  mention  his  poems  in  the  Gascon 
dialect— his  "Souvenirs,"  his  "Blind  Girl,"  and  his  "Fran- 
connette" — and  then  refers  to  his  personal  appearance. 
"Jasmin  is  handsome  in  person,  with  eyes  full  of  intelli- 
gence, of  good  features,  a  mobility  of  expression  abso- 
lutely electrifying,  a  manly  figure,  and  an  agreeable  ad- 
dress; but  his  voice  is  harmony  itself,  and  its  changes 
have  an  effect  seldom  experienced  on  or  off  the  stage. 
The  melody  attributed  to  Mrs.  Jordan  seems  to  approach 
it  nearest.  Had  he  been  an  actor  instead  of  a  poet,  he 
would  have  *  won  all  hearts  his  way.' ...  On  the  whole, 
considering  the  spirit,  taste,  pathos,  and  power  of  this 
poet,  who  writes  in  a  patois  hitherto  confined  to  the  lower 
class  of  people  in  a  remote  district — considering  the  ef- 
fect that  his  verses  have  made  among  educated  persons, 
both  French  and  foreign,  it  is  impossible  not  to  look 
upon'  him  as  one  of  the  remarkable  characters  of  his 
age,  and  to  award  him,  as  the  city  of  Clemence  Isaurc 
has  done,  the  Golden  Laurel,  as  the  first  of  the  revived 
Troubadours,  destined,  perhaps,  to  rescue  his  country  from 
the  reproach  of  having  buried  her  poetry  in  the  graves 
of  Alain  Chartier  and  Charles  of  Orleans,  four  centuries 

It  is  probable  that  this  article  in  the  Athenceum  was 
written  by  Miss  Louisa  Stuart  Costello,  who  had  had  an 
interview  with  the  poet  in  his  house  at  Agen  some  years 
before.     While  making  her  tmir  through  Auvergne  and 


Jasmin  and.  his  English  Critics.  133 

Langucdoc  in  1840,*  she  states  that  she  picked  itp  three 
charming  ballads,  and  was  not  aware  that  they  had  ever 
been  printed.  She  wrote  them  down  merely  by  car,  and 
afterwards  translated  "Me  cal  Monri"  into  English  (see 
pp.  47, 48).  The  ballad  was  very  popular,  and  was  set  to 
music.  She  did  not  then  know  the  name  of  the  com- 
poser, but  when  she  ascertained  that  the  poet  was  "  one 
Jasmin  of  Agcn,"  she  resolved  to  go  out  of  her  way  and 
call  upon  him,  when  on  her  way  to  the  Pyrenees  about 
two  years  later.f  She  had  already  heard  much  about  him 
before  she  Jirrived,  as  he  was  regarded  in  Gascony  as  "the 
greatest  poet  in  modern  times."  She  had  no  difficulty 
in  finding  his  shop  at  the  entrance  to  the  Promenade  du 
Gravier,  with  the  lines  in  large  gold  letters,  "Jasmin, Coif- 
feur." 

Miss  Costello  entered,  and  was  welcomed  by  a  smiling, 
dark-eyed  woman,  who  informed  her  that  her  husband 
was  busy  at  that  moment  dressing  a  customer's  hair,  but 
begged  that  she  would  walk  into  his  parlor  at  the  back 
of  the  shop.  Madame  Jasmin  took  advantage  of  her  hus- 
band's absence  to  exhibit  the  memorials  which  he  had  re- 
ceived for  his  gratuitous  services  on  behalf  of  the  public. 
There  was  the  golden  laurel  from  the  city  of  Toulouse, 
the  golden  cup  from  the  citizens  of  Auch,  the  gold  watch 
with  chain  and  seals  from  "  Le  Roi "  Louis  Philippe,  the 
ring  presented  by  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  the  pearl  pin 
from  the  duchess,  the  fine  service  of  linen  presented  by 
the  citizens  of  Pau,  with  other  offerings  from  persons  of 
distinction. 

At  last  Jasmin  himself  appeared,  having  dressed  his 
customer's  hair.     Miss  Costello  describes  his  manner  as 


*  A  Pilgi-image  to  Anvei'gne^  from  Picardy  to  Velay.     1842. 
f  Beam  and  the  Pyrenees.     1 844. 


134  Jasmin, 

well-bred  and  lively,  and  his  language  as  free  and  unem- 
barrassed. He  said,  however,  that  he  was  ill,  and  too 
hoarse  to  read.  He  spoke  in  a  broad  Gascon  accent,  very 
rapidly  and  even  eloquently.  He  told  the  story  of  his 
difficulties  and  successes;  how  his  grandfather  had  been 
a  beggar,  and  all  his  family  very  poor,  but  that  now  he 
was  as  rich  as  he  desired  to  be.  His  son,  he  said,  was 
placed  in  a  good  position  at  Nantes,  and  he  exhibited 
his  picture  with  pride.  Miss  Costello  told  him  that  she 
had  seen  his  name  mentioned  in  an  English  review. 
Jasmin  said  the  review  had  been  sent  him  by  Lord  Dur- 
ham, who  had  paid  him  a  visit ;  and  then  Miss  Costello 
spoke  of  "Me  cal  Mouri,"  as  the  first  poem  of  his  that 
she  had  seen.  "  Oh,"  said  he,  "  that  little  song  is  not  my 
best  composition  :  it  was  merely  my  first." 

His  heart  was  now  touched.  He  immediately  forgot 
his  hoarseness,  and  proceeded  to  read  some  passages  from 
his  poems.  "If  I  were  only  well,"  said  he,  "and  you 
would  give  me  the  pleasure  of  your  company  for  some 
time,  I  would  kill  you  with  weeping ;  I  would  make  you 
die  with  distress  for  my  poor  Margarido,  my  pretty  Fran- 
connette."  He  then  took  up  two  copies  of  his  Las  Pa- 
pillotos,  handed  one  to  Miss  Costello,  where  the  transla- 
tion was  given  in  French,  and  read  from  the  other  in 
Gascon. 

"  He  began,"  says  the  lady,  "  in  a  rich,  soft  voice,  and 
as  we  advanced  we  found  ourselves  carried  away  by  the 
spell  of  his  enthusiasm.  His  eyes  swam  in  tears ;  he  be- 
came pale  and  red;  he  trembled;  he  recovered  himself; 
his  face  was  now  joyous,  now  exulting,  gay,  jocose ;  in 
fact,  he  was  twenty  actors  in  one ;  he  rang  the  changes 
from  Rachel  to  bouffe ;  and  he  finished  by  relieving  us 
of  our  tears,  and  overwhelming  us  with  astonishment. 
He  would  have  been  a  treasure  on  the  stage ;  for  he  is 


Jasmin  and  his  English  Critics.  135 

still,  though  his  youth  is  past,  remarkably  good-looking 
and  striking;  with  black,  sparkling  eyes  of  intense  ex- 
pression ;  a  fine  ruddy  complexion  ;  a  countenance  of 
wondrous  mobility ;  a  good  figure,  and  action  full  of  fire 
and  grace;  he  has  handsome  hands,  which  he  uses  with 
infinite  effect ;  and  on  the  whole  he  is  the  best  actor 
of  the  kind  I  ever  saw.  I  could  now  quite  understand 
what  a  Troubadour  ov  jongleur  he  might  be;  and  I  look 
upon  Jasfuin  as  a  revived  specimen  of  that  extinct  race." 
Miss  Costello  proceeded  on  her  journey  to  Beam  and 
the  Pyrenees,  and  on  her  return  northward  she  again  re- 
newed her  acquaintance  with  Jasmin  and  his  dark-eyed 
wife.  "I  did  not  expect,"  she  says,  "that  I  should  be 
recognized;  but  the  moment  I  entered  the  little  shop  I 
was  hailed  as  an  old  friend.  *  Ah,'  cried  Jasmin,  '  enfin 
la  voila  encore !'  I  could  not  but  be  flattered  by  this 
recollection,  but  soon  found  that  it  was  less  on  my  own 
account  that  I  was  thus  welcomed,  than  because  circum- 
stances had  occurred  to  the  poet  that  I  might  perhaps  ex- 
plain. He  produced  several  French  newspapers,  in  which 
he  pointed  out  to  me  an  article  headed  'Jasmin  a  Lon- 
dres,'  being  a  translation  of  certain  notices  of  himself 
which  had  appeared  in  a  leading  English  literary  journal 
— the  Athenceam.  ...  I  enjoyed  his  surprise,  while  I 
informed  him  that  I  knew  who  was  the  reviewer  and 
translator;  and  explained  the  reason  for  the  verses  giv- 
ing pleasure  in  an  English  dress,  to  the  superior  simplic- 
ity of  the  English  language  over  modern  French,  for 
which  he  had  a  great  contempt,  as  unfitted  for  lyrical 
composition.*     He  inquired  of  me  respecting  Burns,  to 

*  "  Tliere  are  no  poets  in  Fiance  now,"  lie  said  to  Miss  Costello. 
"  There  cannot  be.  The  language  does  not  admit  of  it.  Where  is 
the  fire,  the  ppirit,  the  expression,  the  tenderness,  the  force,  of  the 


136  Jasmin. 

whom  he  had  been  likened,  and  begged  me  to  tell  him 
something  of  Moore. 

"  He  had  a  thousand  things  to  tell  me :  in  particular, 
that  he  had  only  the  day  before  received  a  letter  from 
the  Duchess  of  Orleans,  informing  him  that  she  had  or- 
dered a  medal  of  her  late  husband  to  be  struck,  the  first 
of  which  should  be  sent  to  him.  He  also  announced  the 
agreeable  news  of  the  King  having  granted  him  a  pension 
of  a  thousand  francs.  He  smiled  and  wept  by  turns  as 
he  told  all  this ;  and  declared  that,  much  as  he  was  elated 
at  the  possession  of  a  sum  which  made  him  a  rich  man 
for  life  (though  it  was  only  equal  to  £42),  the  kindness 
of  the  duchess  gratified  him  still  more. 

"  He  then  made  us  sit  down  while  he  read  us  two  new 
poems;  both  charming,  and  full  of  grace  and  naivete;  and 
one  very  affecting,  being  an  address  to  the  King,  alkiding 
to  the  death  of  his  son. 

"As  he  read,  his  wife  stood  by,  and  fearing  that  we 
did  not  comprehend  the  language,  she  made  a  remark  to 
that  effect,  to  which  he  answered,  impatiently,  *  Nonsense ! 
don't  you  see  they  are  in  tears?'  This  was  unanswerable  ; 
we  were  allowed  to  hear  the  poem  to  the  end,  and  I  cer- 
tainly never  listened  to  anything  more  feelingly  and  en- 
ergetically delivered. 

"  We  had  much  conversation,  for  he  was  anxious  to  de- 
tain us,  and  in  the  course  of  it  he  told  me  that  he  liad 
been  by  some  accused  of  vanity.  '  Oh  1'  lie  exclaimed, 
'what  would  you  have?  I  am  a  child  of  nature,  and 
cannot  conceal  my  feelings ;  the  only  difference  between 
me  and  a  man  of  refinement  is,  that  he  knows  how  to 


Gascon?  French  is  but  the  ladder  to  reach  the  Jirst  Jloor  of  the 
Gascon  ;  how  can  you  get  up  to  a  height  except  by  means  of  a 
ladder?" 


Jasmin  and  his  English  Critics.  137 

conceal  his  vanity  and  exaltation  at  success,  while  I  let 
everybody  see  my  emotions.' 

"  His  wife  drew  me  aside,  and  asked  my  opinion  as  to 
how  much  money  it  would  cost  to  pay  Jasmin's  expenses 
if  he  undertook  a  journey  to  England.  *  However,'  she 
added, '  I  dare  say  he  need  be  at  no  charge,  for  of  course 
your  Queen  has  read  that  article  in  his  favor  and  knows 
liis  merit.  She  probably  will  send  for  him,  pay  all  the 
expenses  of  his  journey,  and  give  him  great  fetes  in  Lon- 
don !' "  Miss  Costello,  knowing  the  difficulty  of  obtaining 
royal  recognition  of  literary  merit  in  England,  unless  it 
appears  in  formcL  pauperis,  advised  the  barber -poet  to 
wait  till  he  was  sent  for — a  very  good  advice,  for  then  it 
would  be  never!  She  concludes  her  recollections  with 
this  remark:  '^I  left  the  happy  pair,  promising  to  let 
them  know  the  effect  that  the  translation  of  Jasmin's 
poetry  produced  in  the  royal  mind.  Indeed,  their  ear- 
nest simplicity  was  really  entertaining." 

A  contributor  to  the  Westminster  Review  *  also  gave  a 
very  favorable  notice  of  Jasmin  and  his  poetry,  which,  he 
said,  was  less  known  in  England  than  it  deserved  to  be ; 
nor  was  it  well  known  in  France,  since  he  wrote  in  a  pat- 
ois. Yet  he  had  been  well  received  by  some  of  the  most 
illustrious  men  in  the  capital,  where  unaided  genius,  to 
be  successful,  must  be  genius  indeed ;  and  there  the  Gas- 
con bard  had  acquired  for  himself  a  fame  of  which  any 
man  might  well  be  proud. 

The  reviewer  said  that  the  Gascon  patois  was  peculiarly 
expressive  and  heart-touching,  and  in  the  South  it  was 
held  in  universal  honor.  Jasmin,  he  continued,  is  what 
Burns  was  to  the  Scottish  peasantry ;  only  he  received 
his  lienors  in  his  lifetime.     The  comparison  with  Burns, 

*  Weitmimier  Review  for  October,  1849. 


138  '  Jasmin. 

however,  was  not  appropriate.  Burns  bad  more  pith, 
vigor,  variety,  and  passion,  than  Jasmin — who  was  more 
of  a  descriptive  writer.  In  some  respects  Jasmin  re- 
sembled Allan  Ramsay,  a  barber  and  periwig-maker,  like 
himself,  whose  "  Gentle  Shepherd  "  met  with  as  great  a 
success  as  Jasmin's  "  Franconnette."  Jasmin,  however, 
was  the  greater  poet  of  the  two. 

The  reviewer  in  the  Westminster^  who  had  seen  Jasmin 
at  Agen,  goes  on  to  speak  of  the  honors  he  had  received 
in  the  South  and  at  Paris — his  recitations  in  the  little  room 
behind  his  shop — his  personal  appearance,  his  hearty  and 
simple  manners — and  yet  his  disdain  of  the  mock  mod- 
esty it  would  be  affectation  to  assume.  The  reviewer  thus 
concludes  ;  "  From  the  first  prepossessing,  he  gains  upon 
you  every  moment ;  and  when  he  is  fairly  launched  into 
the  recital  of  one  of  his  poems,  his  rich  voice  does  full 
justice  to  the  harmonious  Gascon.  The  animation  and 
feeling  he  displays  becomes  contagious.  Your  admira- 
tion kindles,  and  you  become  involved  in  his  ardor.  You 
forget  the  little  room  in  which  he  recites ;  you  altogether 
forget  the  barber,  and  rise  with  him  into  a  superior  world, 
an  experience  in  a  way  you  will  never  forget,  the  power 
exercised  by  a  true  poet  when  pouring  forth  his  living 
thoughts  in  his  own  verses.  .  .  . 

*'  Such  is  Jasmin — lively  in  imagination,  warm  in  tem- 
perament, humorous,  playful,  easily  made  happy,  easily 
softened,  enthusiastically  fond  of  his  province,  of  its 
heroes,  of  its  scenery,  of  its  language,  and  of  its  manners. 
He  is  every  inch  a  Gascon,  except  that  he  has  none  of 
that  consequential  self-importance,  or  of  the  love  of  boast- 
ing and  exaggeration,  which,  falsely  or  not,  is  said  to 
characterize  his  countrymen. 

"  Born  of  the  people,  and  following  a  humble  trade,  he 
is  prond  of  both  circumstances;  his  poems  are  full  of  al- 


Jasmin  and  his  English  Critics.  139 

lusions  to  his  calling;  and  without  ever  uttering  a  word 
in  disparagement  of  other  classes,  he  everywhere  sings  the 
praises  of  his  own.  He  stands  by  his  order.  It  is  from 
it  he  draws  his  poetry  ;  it  is  there  he  finds  his  romance. 

"And  this  is  his  great  charm,  as  it  is  liis  chief  distinc- 
tion. He  invests  virtue,  however  lowly,  with  the  dignity 
that  belongs  to  it.  He  rewards  merit,  however  obscure, 
with  its  due  honor.  Whatever  is  true  or  beautiful  or 
good  finds  from  him  an  immediate  sympathy.  The  true 
is  never  rejected  by  him  because  it  is  commonplace,  nor 
the  beautiful  because  it  is  every-day,  nor  the  good  be- 
cause it  is  not  also  great.  He  calls  nothing  unclean  but 
vice  and  crime.  He  sees  meanness  in  nothing  but  in  the 
sham,  the  affectation,  and  the  spangles  of  outward  show. 

"  But  while  it  is  in  exalting  lowly  excellence  that  Jas- 
min takes  especial  delight,  he  is  not  blind,  as  some  are,  to 
excellence  in  high  places.  All  he  seeks  is  the  sterling 
and  the  real.  He  recognizes  the  sparkle  of  the  diamond 
as  well  as  that  of  the  dew-drop.  But  he  will  not  look 
upon  paste. 

"  He  is  thus  pre-eminently  the  poet  of  nature ;  not,  be 
it  understood,  of  inanimate  nature  only,  but  of  nature 
also,  as  it  exists  in  our  thoughts  and  words  and  acts — 
of  nature  as  it  is  to  be  found  living  and  moving  in  hu- 
manity. But  we  cannot  paint  him  so  well  as  he  paints 
himself.  We  well  remember  how,  in  his  little  shop  at 
Agen,  he  described  to  us  what  he  believed  to  be  charac- 
teristic of  his  poetry ;  and  we  find  in  a  letter  from  him 
to  M.  Leonce  de  Lavergne  the  substance  of  what  he  then 
said  to  us : 

" '  I  believe,'  he  said,  *  that  I  have  portrayed  a  part  of 
the  noble  sentiments  which  men  and  women  may  experi- 
ence here  below.  I  believe  that  I  have  emancipated  my- 
self more  than  any  one  has  ever  done  from  every  school, 


140  Jasmin. 

and  I  have  placed  myself  in  more  direct  communication 
with  nature.  My  poetry  comes  from  my  heart.  I  have 
taken  my  pictures  from  around  me  in  the  most  humble 
conditions  of  men ;  and  I  have  done  for  my  native  lan- 
guage all  that  I  could.'  " 

A  few  years  later  Mr.  Angus  B.  Reach,  a  well-known 
author,  and  a  contributor  to  Punch  in  its  earlier  days, 
was  appointed  a  commissioner  by  the  Morning  Chronicle 
to  visit,  for  industrial  purposes,  the  districts  in  the  South 
of  France.  His  reports  appeared  in  the  Chronicle  ;  but 
in  1852  Mr.  Reach  published  a  fuller  account  of  his  jour- 
neys in  a  volume  entitled  Claret  and  Olives,  from  the 
Garonne  to  the  Rhone.*  In  passing  through  the  South 
of  France,  Mr.  Reach  stopped  at  Agen.  "  One  of  my  ob- 
jects," he  says,  "  was  to  pay  a  literary  visit  to  a  very  re- 
markable man — Jasmin,  the  peasant-poet  of  Provence  and 
Languedoc  —  the  *Last  of  the  Troubadours,'  as,  with 
more  truth  than  is  generally  to  be  found  in  ad  captan- 
dum  designations,  he  terms  himself,  and  is  termed  by  the 
wide  circle  of  his  admirers ;  for  Jasmin's  songs  and  rural 
epics  are  written  in  the  patois  of  the  people,  and  that  pat- 
ois is  the  still  almost  unaltered  Langue  d'Oc — the  tongue 
of  the  chivalric  minstrelsy  of  yore. 

"  But  Jasmin  is  a  Troubadour  in  another  sense  than 
that  of  merely  availing  himself  of  the  tongue  of  the  me- 
nestrels.  He  publishes,  certainly,  conforming  so  far  to 
the  usages  of  our  degenerate  modern  times ;  but  his  great 

*  Published  by  David  Bogue,  Fleet  Street,  London.  1852.  Mr. 
Reach  was  very  particular  about  the  pronunciation  of  his  name. 
Being  a  native  of  Inverness,  the  last  vowel  Avas  guttural.  One  day, 
dining  with  Douglas  Jerroldj  who  insisted  on  addressing  him  as  Mr. 
Reek  or  Reech,  "No,"  said  the  other;  "  my  name  is  neither  Reek 
nor  Reech,  but  Reac/i."  "  Very  well,"  said  Jerrold,  "  Mr.  "Reach  will 
you  have  a  peac/i  .^" 


Jasmin  and  his  English  Critics.  141 

triumphs  are  his  popular  recitations  of  his  poems.  Stand- 
ing bravely  up  before  an  expectant  assembly  of  perhaps 
a  couple  of  thousand  persons  —  the  hot-blooded  and 
quick-brained  children  of  the  South — the  modern  Trou- 
badour plunges  over  head  and  ears  into  his  lays,  evoking 
both  himself  and  his  applauding  audiences  into  fits  of 
enthusiasm  and  excitement,  which,  whatever  may  be  the 
excellence  of  the  poetry,  an  Englishman  finds  it  difficult 
to  conceive  or  account  for. 

"The  raptures  of  the  New  Yorkers  and  Bostonians 
with  Jenny  Lind  are  weak  and  cold  compared  with  the 
ovations  which  Jasmin  has  received.  At  a  recitation 
given  shortly  before  my  visit  to  Auch,  the  ladies  present 
actually  tore  the  flowers  and  feathers  out  of  their  bon- 
nets, wove  them  into  extempore  garlands,  and  flung  them 
in  showers  upon  the  panting  minstrel ;  while  the  editors 
of  the  local  papers  next  morning  assured  him,  in  floods 
of  flattering  epigrams,  that  humble  as  he  was  now,  future 
ages  would  acknowledge  the  '  divinity  '  of  a  Jasmin  ! 

**  There  is  a  feature,  however,  about  these  recitations 
which  is  still  more  extraordinary  than  the  uncontrollable 
fits  of  popular  enthusiasm  which- they  produce.  His  last 
entertainment  before  I  saw  him  was  given  in  one  of  the 
Pyrenean  cities,  and  produced  2000  francs.  Every  sou 
of  this  went  to  the  public  charities;  Jasmin  will  not  ac- 
cept a  stiver  of  money  so  earned.  With  a  species  of 
perhaps  overstrained,  but  certainly  exalted,  chivalric  feel- 
ing, he  declines  to  appear  before  an  audience  to  exhibit 
for  money  the  gifts  with  which  nature  has  endowed  him. 

"After,  perhaps,  a  brilliant  tour  through  the  South  of 
France,  delighting  vast  audiences  in  every  city,  and  fling- 
ing many  thousands  of  francs  into  every  poor-box  which 
he  passes,  the  poet  contentedly  returns  to  his  humble  oc- 
cupation, and  to  the  little  shop  where  he  cams  his  daily 


142  Jasmin. 

bread  by  Lis  daily  toil  as  a  barber  and  hair-dresser.  It 
will  be  generally  admitted  that  the  man  capable  of  self- 
denial  of  so  truly  heroic  a  nature  as  this  is  no  ordinary 
poetaster. 

"  One  would  be  puzzled  to  find  a  similar  instance  of 
perfect  and  absolute  disinterestedness  in  the  roll  of  min- 
strels, from  Homer  downward ;  and,  to  tell  the  truth, 
there  does  seem  a  spice  of  Quixotism  mingled  with  and 
tingeing  the  pure  fervor  of  the  enthusiast.  Certain  it  is, 
that  the  Troubadours  of  yore,  upon  whose  model  Jasmin 
professes  to  found  his  poetry,  were  by  no  means  so  scru- 
pulous. *  Largesse '  was  a  very  prominent  word  in  their 
vocabulary ;  and  it  really  seems  difficult  to  assign  any 
satisfactory  reason  for  a  man  refusing  to  live  upon  the 
exercise  of  the  finer  gifts  of  his  intellect  and  throwing 
himself  for  his  bread  upon  the  daily  performance  of  mere 
mechanical  drudgery. 

"Jasmin,  as  may  be  imagined,  is  well  known  in  Agen. 
I  was  speedily  directed  to  his  abode,  near  the  open  Place 
of  the  town,  and  within  ear-shot  of  the  rush  of  the  Ga- 
ronne; and  in  a  few  moments  I  found  myself  pausing 
before  the  lintel  of  the  modest  shop  inscribed  '  Jasmin, 
Perruquier,  Coiffeur  des  Jeunes  Gens.'  A  little  brass  ba- 
sin dangled  above  the  threshold ;  and  looking  through 
the  glass  I  saw  the  master  of  the  establishment  shaving 
a  fat-faced  neighbor.  Now  I  had  come  to  see  and  pay 
my  compliments  to  a  poet,  and  there  did  appear  to  me 
to  be  something  strangely  awkward  and  irresistibly  ludi- 
crous in  having  to  address,  to  some  extent,  in  a  literary 
and  complimentary  vein,  an  individual  actually  engaged 
in  so  excessively  prosaic  and  unelevated  a  species  of  per- 
formance. 

"  I  retreated,  uncertain  what  to  do,  and  waited  outside 
until  the  shop  was  clear.    Three  words  explained  the  nat- 


Jasmin  and  his  English  Critics.  143 

lire  of  my  visit,  and  Jasmin  received  me  with  a  species 
of  warm  courtesy,  wliich  was  very  peculiar  and  very 
cliarininf^;  dashing  at  once,  with  the  most  clattering  vol- 
uhility  and  fiery  speed  of  tongue,  into  a  sort  of  rhapsodi- 
cal discourse  upon  poetry  in  general,  and  the  patois  of  it, 
spoken  in  Languedoc,  Provence,  and  Gascony  in  par- 
ticular. 

"Jasmin  is  a  well-built  and  strongly-limbed  man  of 
about  fifty,  with  a  large,  massive  head,  and  a  broad  pile 
of  forehead,  overhanging  two  piercingly  bright  black 
eyes,  and  features  which  would  be  heavy  were  they  al- 
lowed a  moment's  repose  from  the  continual  play  of  the 
facial  muscles,  sending  a  never-ending  series  of  varying 
expressions  across  the  dark,  swarthy  visage.  Two  sen- 
tences of  his  conversation  were  quite  sufficient  to  stamp 
his  individuality.  ♦ 

"The  first  thing  which  struck  me  was  the  utter  al)- 
sencc  of  all  the  mock  modesty,  and  the  pretended  self- 
underrating  conventionally  assumed  by  persons  expect- 
ing to  be  complimented  upon  their  sayings  or  doings. 
Jasmin  seemed  thoroughly  to  despise  all  such  flimsy  hy- 
pocrisy. *God  only  made  four  Frenchmen  poets,'  he 
burst  out  with,  *and  their  names  are  Corneille,  Lafon- 
taine,  Beranger,  and  Jasmin!' 

"Talking  with  the  most  impassioned  vehemence,  and 
the  most  redundant  energy  of  gesture,  he  went  on  to  de- 
claim against  the  influences  of  civilizatio;i  upon  language 
and  manners  as  being  fatal  to  all  real  poetry.  If  the 
true  inspiration  yet  existed  upon  earth,  it  burned  in  the 
hearts  and  brains  of  men  far  removed  from  cities,  salons, 
and  the  clash  and  din  of  social  influences.  Your  only 
true  poets  were  the  unlettered  peasants,  who  poured  forth 
their  hearts  in  song,  not  because  they  wished  to  make 
poetry,  but  because  they  were  joyous  and  true. 


144  Jasmin, 

"Colleges,  academies,  schools  of  learning,  schools  of 
literature,  and  all  such  institutions.  Jasmin  denounced  as 
the  curse  and  the  bane  of  true  poetry.  They  had  spoiled, 
he  said,  the  very  French  language.  You  could  no  more 
write  poetry  in  French  now  than  you  could  in  arithmeti- 
cal figures.  The  language  had  been  licked  and  kneaded 
and  tricked  out,  and  plumed  and  dandified  and  scented, 
and  minced  and  ruled  square  and  chipped — (I  am  try- 
ing to  give  an  idea  of  the  strange  flood  of  epithets  he 
used) — and  pranked  out  and  polished  and  muscadined 
until,  for  all  honest  purposes  of  true  high  poetry,  it  was 
mere  unavailable  and  contemptible  jargon. 

"It  might  do  for  cheating  agents  de  change  on  the 
Bourse — for  squabbling  politicians  in  the  Chambers — 
for  mincing  dandies  in  the  salons — for  the  sarcasm  of 
Scribe-ish  comedies,  or  the  coarse  drolleries  of  Palais 
Royal  farces,  but  for  poetry  the  French  language  was  ex- 
tinct. All  modern  poets  who  used  it  were  faiseurs  de 
phrase — thinking  about  words  and  not  feelings.  'No, 
no,'  my  Troubadour  continued,  '  to  write  poetry  you  must 
get  the  language  of  a  rural  people — a  language  talked 
among  fields  and  trees,  and  by  rivers  and  mountains — a 
language  never  minced  or  disfigured  by  academies  and 
dictionary-makers  and  journalists;  you  must  have  a  lan- 
guage like  that  which  your  own  Burns,  whom  I  read  of 
in  Chateaubriand,  used ;  or  like  the  brave,  old,  mellow 
tongue — unchanged  for  centuries — stuffed  with  the  stran- 
gest, quaintest,  richest,  raciest  idioms  and  odd  solemn 
words,  full  of  shifting  meanings  and  associations,  at  once 
pathetic  and  familiar,  homely  and  graceful — the  language 
which  I  write  in,  and  which  has  never  yet  been  defiled  by 
calculating  men  of  science  or  jack-a-dandy  litterateurs.'' 

"The  above  sentences  may  be  taken  as  a  specimen  of 
the  ideas  with  which  Jasmin  seemed  to  be  actually  over- 


Jasniin  and  his  English  Critics.  145 

flowing  from  every  pore  in  his  body  —  so  rapid,  vehe- 
ment, and  loud  was  his  enunciation  of  them.  Warming 
more  and  more  as  lie  went  on,  lie  began  to  sketch  the 
outlines  of  his  favorite  pieces.  Every  now  and  then 
plunging  into  recitation,  jumping  from  French  into  pat- 
ois, and  from  patois  into  French,  and  sometimes  splut- 
tering them  out,  mixed  up  pell-mell  together.  Hardly 
pausing  to  take  breath,  he  rushed  about  the  shop  as  he 
discoursed,  lugging  out,  from  old  chests  and  drawers, 
piles  of  old  newspapers  and  reviews,  pointing  out  a  pas- 
sage here  in  which  the  estimate  of  the  writer  pleased 
him,  a  passage  there  which  showed  how  perfectly  the 
critic  had  mistaken  the  scope  of  his  poetic  philosophy, 
and  exclaiming,  with  the  most  perfect  naivete,  how  mor- 
tifying it  was  for  men  of  original  and  profound  genius 
to  be  misconceived  and  misrepresented  by  pygmy  whip- 
per-snapper scamps  of  journalists. 

"There  was  one  review  of  his  works,  published  in  a 
London  ^Hecueil,^  as  he  called  it,  to  which  Jasmin  referred 
with  great  pleasure.  A  portion  of  it  had  been  translated, 
he  said,  in  the  preface  to  a  French  edition  of  his  works; 
and  he  had  most  of  the  highly  complimentary  phrases  by 
heart.  The  English  critic,  he  said,  wrote  in  iho^Tinii- 
num^^  and  he  looked  dubiously  at  me  when  I  confessed 
that  I  had  never  heard  of  the  organ  in  question.  *Pour- 
tant,'  he  said,  *  je  vous  Ic  ferai  voir,'  and  I  soon  perceived 
that  Jasmin's  ^Tintinum^  was  no  other  than  the  Aihe- 
noeum  ! 

"In  the  little  back  drawing-room  behind  the  shop,  to 
which  the  poet  speedily  introduced  me,  his  sister  [it  must 
have  been  his  wife],  a  meek,  smiling  woman,  whose  eyes 
never  left  him,  following  as  he  moved  with  a  beautiful 
expression  of  love  and  pride  in  his  glory,  received  me 
with  simple  cordiality.  The  walls  were  covered  with 
7 


146  Jasmin, 

testimonials,  presentations,  and  trophies,  awarded  by  crit- 
ics and  distinguished  persons,  literary  and  political,  to 
the  modern  Troubadour.  Not  a  few  of  these  are  of  a 
nature  to  make  any  man  most  legitimately  proud.  Jas- 
min possesses  gold  and  silver  vases,  laurel  branches,  snuff- 
boxes, medals  of  honor,  and  a  whole  museum  of  similar 
gifts,  inscribed  with  such  characteristic  and  laconic  le- 
gends as  ''Au  Poete,  Les  Jeunes  filles  de  Toulouse  recon- 
naissantes  P  etc. 

"  The  number  of  garlands  of  immortelles^  wreaths  of  ivy- 
jasinin  (punning  upon  the  name),  laurel,  and  so  forth,  ut- 
terly astonished  me.  Jasmin  preserved  a  perfect  shrub- 
bery of  such  tokens  ;  and  each  symbol  had,  of  course,  its 
pleasant  associative  remembrance.  One  was  given  by  the 
ladies  of  such  a  town  ;  another  was  the  gift  of  the  pre- 
fect's wife  of  such  a  department.  A  handsome  full- 
length  portrait  had  been  presented  to  the  poet  by  the 
municipal  authorities  of  Agen  ;  and  a  letter  from  M.  Lx- 
martine,  framed,  above  the  chimney-piece,  avowed  the 
writer's  belief  that  the  Troubadour  of  the  Garonne  was 
the  Homer  of  the  modern  world.  M.  Jasmin  wears  the 
ribbon  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  and  has  several  valuable 
presents  which  were  made  to  him  by  the  late  ex-king  and 
different  members  of  the  Orleans  family. 

"I  have  been  somewhat  minute  in  giving  an  account 
of  ray  interview  with  M.  Jasmin  because  he  is  really  the 
popular  poet — the  peasant-poet  of  the  South  of  France 
— the  Burns  of  Limousin,  Provence,  and  Languedoc. 
His  songs  are  in  the  mouths  of  all  who  sing  in  the  fields 
and  by  the  cottage  firesides.  Their  subjects  are  always 
rural,  naive,  and  full  of  rustic  pathos  and  rustic  drollery. 
To  use  his  words  to  me,  he  sings  what  the  hearts  of  the 
people  say,  and  he  can  no  more  help  it  than  can  the  birds 
in  the  trees.    Translations  into  French  of  his  main  poems 


Jasmin  and  his  English  Critics.  147 

liave  appeared ;  and  compositions  more  full  of  natural 
and  tborouojhly  unsopliisticated  pathos  and  liiimor  it 
would  be  difficult  to  find. 

"Jasmin  writes  from  a  teeming  brain  and  a  beaming 
lieart,  and  there  is  a  warmth  and  a  glow,  and  a  strong, 
happy,  triumphant  march  of  song  about  his  poems  which 
carry  you  away  in  tlie  perusal  as  they  carried  away  the  au- 
thor in  the  writing.  I  speak,  of  course,  from  the  French 
translations,  and  I  can  well  conceive  that  they  give  but  a 
comparatively  faint  transcript  of  the  pith  and  power  of 
the  original.  The  patois  in  which  these  poems  are  writ- 
ten is  the  common  peasant  language  of  the  South-west  of 
France.  It  varies  in  some  slight  degree  in  different  dis- 
tricts, but  not  more  than  the  broad  Scotch  of  Forfarshire 
differs  from  that  of  Ayrshire.  As  for  the  dialect  itself, 
it  seems  in  the  main  to  be  a  species  of  cross  between  old 
French  and  Spanish  —  holding,  however,  I  am  assured, 
rather  to  the  latter  tongue  than  to  the  former,  and  con- 
stituting a  bold,  copious,  and  vigorous  speech,  very  rich 
in  its  coloring,  full  of  quaint  words  and  expressive  phrases, 
and  especially  strong  in  all  that  relates  to  the  language  of 
the  passions  and  affections. 

"  I  hardly  know  how  long  my  interview  with  Jasmin 
might  have  lasted,  for  he  seemed  by  no  means  likely  to 
tire  of  talking,  and  his  talk  was  too  good  and  too  curious 
not  to  be  listened  to  with  interest;  but  the  sister  [or  wife] 
who  had  left  us  for  a  moment,  coming  back  with  the  in- 
telligence that  there  was  quite  a  gathering  of  customers 
in  the  shop,  I  hastily  took  my  leave,  the  poet  squeezing 
my  hand  like  a  vice,  and  immediately  thereafter  dashing 
into  all  that  appertains  to  curling-irons,  scissors,  razors, 
and  lather,  with  just  as  much  apparent  energy  and  enthu- 
siasm as  he  had  flung  into  liis  rhapsodical  discourse  on 
poetry  and  language !" 


148  Jasmiti. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  apologize  for  the  length  of 
this  extract,  because  no  author  that  we  know  of — not 
even  any  French  author — has  given  so  vivid  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  man  as  he  lived,  moved,  and  talked,  as  Mr. 
Reach  ;  and  we  believe  the  reader  will  thank  us  for  quot- 
ing from  an  almost  entirely  forgotten  book  the  above 
graphic  description  of  the  Gascon  Poet. 


Jasmin'' s  Tours  of  Philanthropy,  149 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

JASMIN'S  TOURS  OF  PHILANTHROPY. 

The  poet  had  no  sooner  returned  from  his  visit  to 
Paris  than  he  was  besieged  with  appeals  to  proceed  to 
the  relief  of  the  poor  in  the  South  of  France.  Indeed, 
for  more  than  thirty  years  he  devoted  a  considerable  part 
of  his  time  to  works  of  charity  and  benevolence.  He 
visited  successively  cities  and  towns  so  far  remote  from 
each  other  as  Bayonne  and  Marseilles,  Bagneres  and 
Lyons.  He  placed  his  talents  at  the  service  of  the  pub- 
lic from  motives  of  sheer  benevolence,  for  the  large  col- 
lections which  were  made  at  his  recitations  were  not  of 
the  slightest  personal  advantage  to  himself. 

The  first  place  he  visited  on  this  occasion  was  Carcas- 
sonne, south-east  of  Toulouse — a  town  of  considerable  im- 
portance, and  containing  a  large  number  of  poor  people. 
M.  Dugue,  prefect  of  the  x\ude,  wrote  to  Jasmin  :  "  The 
crying  needs  of  this  winter  have  called  forth  a  desire  to 
help  the  poor;  but  the  means  are  sadly  wanting.  Our 
thoughts  are  necessarily  directed  to  you.  Will  you  come 
and  help  us?"  Jasmin  at  once  complied.  He  was  enter- 
tained by  the  prefect.  After  several  successful  recitations, 
a  considerable  sum  of  money  was  collected  for  the  relief  of 
the  poor  of  Carcassonne.  To  perpetuate  the  recollection 
of  Jasmin's  noble  work,  and  to  popularize  the  genius  of 
the  poet,  the  prefect  of  the  Aude  arranged  that  Jasmin's 
poems  should  be  distributed  among  all  the  schools  of  his 


150  Jasmin. 

department,  and  for  this  purpose  a  portion  of  the  surplus 
funds  was  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  council-general. 

Bordeaux  next  appealed  to  the  poet.  He  had  a  strong 
love  for  Bordeaux.  It  was  the  place  where  he  had  first 
recited  his  "  Blind  Girl,"  where  he  had  first  attracted  pub- 
lic attention,  and  where  he  was  always  admired  and  al- 
ways feted.  The  Orphan  Institution  of  the  city  was  in 
difficulties ;  its  funds  were  quite  exhausted  ;  and  who 
should  be  invited  to  come  to  their  help  but  their  old 
friend  Jasmin?  He  was  again  enthusiastically  received. 
The  Franklin  Rooms  were  crowded,  and  money  flowed 
quickly  into  the  orphans'  treasury.  Among  the  poems 
he  recited  was  the  following  : 

THE  SHEPHERD  AND  THE  GASCON  POET.* 

Anx  Bordelais,  au  jour  de  ma  grande  Seance  au  Casino. 

_^  In  a  far  land,  I  know  not  where, 

Ere  viol's  sigh,  or  organ's  swell, 
Had  made  the  sous  of  song  a^vare 
That  music  is  a  potent  spell : 
A  shepherd  to  a  city  came, 
Play'd  on  his  pipe,  and  rose  to  fame. 
He  sang  of  fields,  and  at  each  close, 
Applause  from  ready  hands  arose. 

The  simple  swain  was  hail'd  and  crown'd, 
In  mansions  where  the  great  reside, 

And  cheering  smiles  and  praise  he  found, 
And  in  his  heart  rose  honest  pride. 

All  seem'd  with  joy  and  rapture  gleaming, 

He  trembled  lest  he  was  but  dreaming. 

*  We  adopt  the  translation  of  Miss  Costello. 


Jasmines  Tours  of  Philanthropy.  151 

But,  modest  still,  bis  soul  was  moved; 

Yet  of  bis  bnmlet  was  bis  tbougbt — 
Of  friends  at  bome,  and  ber  be  loved, 

Wlien  back  bis  laurel  brancb  be  brougbt. 
And  pleasure  beaming  in  bis  eyes, 
Enjoj-ed  tbeir  welcome  and  surprise. 
'Twas  tbus  witb  mo  wben  Bordeanx  deigned 

To  listen  to  my  rustic  song: 
Wboso  music  praise  and  bonor  gain'd 

More  than  to  rural  strains  belong. 

Deligbted,  cbarmed,  I  scarcely  knew, 

Wbence  sprung  tbis  life  so  fresb  and  new, 

And  to  my  beart  I  wbispered  low, 
Wben  to  my  fields  returned  again, 

"Is  not  tbe  Gascon  Poet  now 

As  bappy  as  tbe  sbepberd  swain  ?" 

Tbe  minstrel  never  can  forget, 

Tbe  spot  wbere  first  success  be  met; 

But  be,  tbe  sbepberd  wlio,  of  yore. 
Has  cbarniM  so  manj'  a  list'niug  ear, 

Came  back,  and  was  beloved  no  more. 

Ho  found  all  cbanged  and  cold  and  drear! 

A  skilful  band  bad  toucb'd  tbe  flute; 

His  pipe  and  be  were  scorn'd — were  mute. 

But  I,  once  more  I  dared  appear. 

And  found  old  friends  so  true  and  dear. 

Tbe  mem'ry  of  my  ancient  lays 

Lived  in  tbeir  bearts,  awoke  tbeir  praise. 

Ob!  tbey  did  more.     I  was  tbeir  guest; 

Again  was  welcomed  and  caress'd, 

And,  twined  witb  tbeir  melodious  tongue, 

Again  my  rustic  carol  rung; 

And  my  old  language  proudly  found 

Her  words  bad  list'ners  pressing  round. 

Tbus,  tbougb  condemn'd  tbe  sbepbord's  skill, 

Tbe  Gascon  Poet  triumpb'd  still. 


152  Jasmin, 

At  the  end  of  the  recital  a  pretty  little  orphan  girl 
came  forward  and  presented  Jasmin  with  a  laurel  adorned 
with  a  ruby,  with  these  words  in  golden  letters,  "To  Jas- 
min, with  the  orphans'  gratitude."  Jasmin  finally  de- 
scended from  the  rostrum  and  mixed  with  the  audience, 
who  pressed  round  him  and  embraced  him.  The  result 
was  the  collection  of  more  than  a  thousand  francs  for  the 
orphans'  fund. 

No  matter  what  the  institution  was,  or  where  it  was 
situated,  if  it  was  in  difiiculties,  and  Jasmin  was  appealed 
to,  provided  it  commended  itself  to  his  judgment,  he  went 
far  and  near  to  give  his  help.  A  priest  at  a  remote  place 
in  Perigord  had  for  some  time  endeavored  to  found  an 
agricultural  colony  for  the  benefit  of  the  laborers,  and  at 
last  wrote  to  Jasmin  for  assistance.  The  work  had  been 
patronized  by  most  of  the  wealthy  people  of  the  province  ; 
but  the  colony  did  not  prosper.  There  remained  no  one 
to  help  them  but  the  noble  barber  of  Agen.  Without 
appealing  any  more  to  the  rich  for  further  aid,  the  priest 
applied  to  Jasmin  through  a  mutual  friend,  one  of  the 
promoters  of  the  undertaking,  who  explained  to  him  the 
nature  of  the  enterprise.  The  following  was  Jasmin's  an- 
swer : 

"  My  dear  Sir, — I  have  already  heard  of  the  pious 
work  of  the  curate  of  Vedey,  and  shall  be  most  happy 
to  give  him  my  services  for  one  or  two  evenings,  though 
I  regret  that  I  must  necessarily  defer  my  visit  until  after 
the  month  of  February  next.  In  May  I  have  promised 
to  go  twice  to  the  help  of  the  Albigenses,  in  aid  of  their 
hospital  and  the  poor  of  Alba.  I  start  to-morrow  for 
Cahors,  to  help  in  a  work  equally  benevolent,  begun  long 
ago.  I  am  engaged  for  the  month  of  August  for  Foix 
and  Bagneres  de  Luchon,  in   behalf  of  a  church  and  an 


Jasmin's  Tours  of  Philanthropy.  15.3 

agricultural  society.  All  my  spare  time,  you  will  ob- 
serve, is  occupied ;  and  though  I  may  be  tired  out  by  my 
journeys,  I  will  endeavor  to  rally  my  forces  and  do  all 
that  I  can  for  you.  Tell  the  curate  of  Vedey,  therefore, 
that  as  his  labor  has  been  of  long  continuance,  my  Muse 
will  be  happy  to  help  his  philanthropic  work  during  one 
or  two  evenings  at  Perigueux  in  the  month  of  March  next. 
"Yours  faithfully, 

"  J.  Jasmin." 

In  due  time  Jasmin  fulfilled  his  promise,  and  a  con- 
siderable sum  was  collected  in  aid  of  the  agricultural 
colony,  which,  to  his  great  joy,  was  eventually  established 
and  prospered.  On  another  and  a  very  different  occasion 
the  Society  of  Arts  and  Literature  appealed  to  him. 
Their  object  was  to  establish  a  fund  for  the  assistance  of 
the  poorer  members  of  their  craft — something  like  the 
Royal  Literary  Fund  of  London.  The  letter  addressed 
to  him  was  signed  by  Baron  Taylor,  Ingres,  Ambroise 
Thomas,  Aubcr,  Meyerbeer,  Adolphe  Adam,  Jules  Simon, 
Zimmerman n,  llalevy,  and  others.  It  seemed  extraordi- 
nary that  men  of  such  distinction  in  art  and  literature 
should  appeal  to  a  man  of  such  humble  condition,  living 
at  so  remote  a  place  as  Agen. 

"We  ask  your  help,"  they  said,  "  for  our  work,  which 
has  only  been  begun,  and  is  waiting  for  assistance.  We 
desire  to  have  the  encouragement  and  powerful  support 
of  men  of  heart  and  intelligence.  Do  not  be  surprised, 
sir,  that  we  address  this  demand  to  you.  We  have  not 
yet  appealed  to  the  part  of  France  in  which  you  live; 
but  we  repose  our  hopes  in  your  admirable  talent,  in- 
spired as  it  is  with  Christian  charity,  which  has  already 
given  birth  to  many  benefactions,  for  the  help  of  churches, 
schools,  and  charitable  institutions,  and  has  spread  among 
7* 


1 54  Jasmin. 

your  compatriots  the  idea  of  relieving  the  poor  and  ne- 
cessitous." Incited  by  these  illustrious  men,  Jasmin  at 
once  took  the  field,  and  by  his  exertions  did  much  tow- 
ards the  foundation  of  the  proposed  institution. 

The  strength  of  his  constitution  seemed  to  be  inex- 
haustible. On  one  occasion  he  went  as  far  as  Marseilles. 
He  worked,  he  walked,  he  travelled,  he  recited  almost 
without  end.  Though  he  sometimes  complained  of  be- 
ing over -tired,  he  rallied,  and  went  on  as  before.  At 
Marseilles,  for  instance,  he  got  up  early  in  the  morning, 
and  at  8  a.m.  he  was  present  at  a  private  council  in  a 
school.  At  11  he  presided  at  a  meeting  of  the  Society 
of  Saint  Francis  Xavier,  where  he  recited  several  of  his 
poems  before  two  thousand  persons.  At  2  o'clock  he 
was  present  at  a  banquet  given  in  his  honor.  In  the 
evening  he  had  another  triumphant  reception.  In  the 
morning  he  spoke  of  country,  religion,  and  work  to  the 
humbler  classes,  and  in  the  evening  he  spoke  of  love  and 
charity  to  a  crowded  audience  of  distinguished  ladies.  He 
was  entertained  at  Marseilles  like  a  prince  rather  than 
like  a  poet. 

He  sometimes  gave  as  many  as  three  hundred  recita- 
tions of  this  sort  in  a  year,  visiting  nearly  every  town 
from  Bordeaux  to  Marseilles  for  all  kinds  of  charitable 
institutions.  Of  course  his  travels  were  enlivened  by 
many  adventures,  and  some  people  were  unwilling  to 
allow  him  to  forget  that  he  was  a  barber.  When  at 
Auch,  a  town  several  miles  to  the  south  of  Agen,  he 
resided  with  the  mayor.  The  time  for  the  meeting  had 
nearly  arrived ;  but  the  mayor  was  still  busy  with  his 
toilet.  The  prefect  of  Gers  was  also  waiting.  Fearing 
the  impatience  of  his  guests,  the  mayor  opened  the  door 
of  his  chamber  to  apologize,  showing  his  face  covered 
with  lather. 


Jasmines  Tours  of  Philanthropy.  155 

"Wait  a  moment,"  be  said;  "I  am  just  finishing  my 
sliaving." 

"Oh,"  said  Jasmin,  "why  did  you  not  perform  your 
toilet  sooner?  But  now  let  me  help  you."  Jasmin  at 
once  doffed  his  coat,  gave  the  finishing  touch  to  his 
razor,  and  shaved  the  mayor  in  a  twinkling,  with  what 
he  called  his  "  hand  of  velvet."  In  a  few  minutes  after 
Jasmin  was  receiving  tumultuous  applause  for  his  splen- 
did recitations. 

Thus,  as  time  was  pressing,  it  was  a  pleasure  to  Jasmin 
to  make  himself  useful  to  his  friend  the  mayor.  But  on 
another  occasion  he  treated  a  rich  snob  in  the  way  he 
deserved.  Jasmin  had  been  reciting  for  the  benefit  of 
the  poor.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  meeting  the  young 
people  of  the  town  improvised  a  procession  of  flambeaux, 
and  triumphantly  escorted  him  to  his  hotel. 

Early  next  morning,  while  Jasmin  was  still  asleep,  he 
was  awakened  by  some  one  knocking  at  his  chamber 
door.  Be  rose,  opened  it,  and  found  himself  in  presence 
of  one  of  the  most  opulent  persons  of  the  town.  There 
are  vulgar  people  everywhere,  and  this  person  had  more 
wealth  than  courtesy.  Like  Jasmin,  he  was  a  man  of 
the  people;  but  he  had  neither  the  grace  nor  the  polite- 
ness of  the  Gascon  barber,  lie  was  but  a  parvenu,  and 
his  riches  had  only  produced  an  accumulation  of  snob- 
bishness, lie  pushed  into  the  room,  installed  himself 
without  invitation  in  a  chair,  and,  without- further  cere- 
mony, proceeded : 

'*My  dear  Jasmin,"  he  said,  "I  am  a  banker — a  mill- 
ionaire, as  you  know ;  I  wish  you  to  shave  me  with  your 
own  hand.  Please  set  to  work  at  once,  for  I  am  pressed 
for  time.     You  cm  ask  what  you  like  for  your  trouble." 

"Pardon  me,  sir,"  said  Jasmin,  with  some  pride,  "I 
only  shave  for  pay  at  home." 


156  Jasmin. 

"What  do  yon  say?" 

"  It  is  true,  sir ;  I  only  sliave  for  pay  at  home." 

"  Come,  come — you  are  jesting!  I  cannot  be  put  off. 
Make  your  charge  as  much  as  you  like — but  shave  me." 

"  Again  I  say,  sir,  it  is  impossible." 

"  How  impossible  ?  It  seems  to  me  that  it  is  your 
trade !" 

"  It  is  so ;  but  at  this  moment  I  am  not  disposed  to 
exercise  it." 

The  banker  again  pleaded ;  Jasmin  was  firm  ;  and  the 
millionaire  went  away  unshaved  ! 

During  one  of  his  recitations  at  Toulouse  he  was  intro- 
duced to  Mdlle.  Roaldes,  a  young  and  beautiful  lady, 
with  whose  father,  a  thriving  stock-broker,  he  stayed 
while  in  that  city.  His  house  was  magnificent  and  splen- 
didly furnished.  Many  persons  of  influence  were  invited 
to  meet  Jasmin,  and,  while  there,  he  was  entertained 
with  much  hospitality.  But,  as  often  happens  with 
stock-brokers,  M.  Roaldes'  star  fell ;  he  suffered  many 
losses,  and  at  length  became  poor  and  almost  destitute. 

One  day,  while  Jasmin  was  sharpening  his  razors  in 
his  shop  in  Agen,  who  should  appear  but  Mdlle.  Therese 
Roaldes,  sad  and  dejected.  It  was  the  same  young  lady 
who  had  charmed  him,  not  only  by  her  intellectual  con- 
verse, but  by  her  admirable  musical  ability.  She  had 
sung  brilliantly  at  the  entertainment  given  at  her  father's 
house,  and  now  she  came  to  lay  her  case  before  the 
Agenaise  barber!  She  told  her  whole  storj^  ending  with 
the  present  destitution  of  her  father — formerly  the  rich 
stock-broker. 

"  What  can  we  do  now?"  asked  Jasmin;  "something 
must  be  done  at  once." 

Mdlle.  Roaldes  judged  rightly  of  the  generous  heart  of 
Jasmin.    He  was  instantly  ready  and  willing  to  lielp  her. 


i 


Jasmines  Tours  of  Philanthropy.  157 

They  miglit  not  restore  her  father's  fortunes,  but  they 
might  rescue  him  from  the  poverty  and  humiliations  in 
which  liis  sudden  reverse  of  fortune  had  involved  him. 
The  young  lady  had  only  her  voice  and  her  harp,  but 
Jasmin  had  his  Curl-papers.  Mdlle.  Roaldes  was  beauti- 
ful ;  could  her  beauty  have  influenced  Jasmin  ?  For 
beauty  has  a  wonderful  power  in  the  world.  But  good- 
ness is  far  better,  and  it  was  that  and  her  filial  love 
which  principally  influenced  Jasmin  in  now  offering  her 
his  assistance. 

The  two  made  their  first  appearance  at  Agen.  They 
gave  their  performance  in  the  theatre,  which  was  crowded. 
The  name  of  Mdlle.  Roaldt^s  excited  the  greatest  sympa- 
thy, for  the  misfortunes  of  her  father  were  well  known 
in  the  South.  For  this  beautiful  girl  to  descend  from 
her  brilliant  home  in  Toulouse  to  the  boards  of  a  theatre 
at  Agen  was  a  sad  blow,  but  her  courage  bore  her  up, 
and  she  excited  the  sympathetic  applause  of  the  audience. 
In  the  midst  of  the  general  enthusiasm  Jasmin  addressed 
the  charming  lady  in  some  lines  which  he  had  prepared 
for  the  occasion.  Holding  in  his  hand  a  bouquet  of  flow- 
ers, he  said : 

"Oh  well  tbey  bloom  for  you!     Mothers  aud  daughters, 
Throw  flowers  to  her,  though  moistened  with  your  tears. 
These  flowers  receive  them,  for 
They  bear  the  incense  of  our  hearts. 

Daughter  of  heaveu,  oh,  sing!  your  name  shiues  bright, 
The  earth  applauds,  aud  God  will  bless  you  ever." 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  poem  Jasmin  threw  his 
wreath  of  flowers  to  the  young  lady,  and  in  an  instant 
she  was  covered  with  flowers  by  the  audience.  Mdlle. 
Roaldes  was  deeply  moved.     She  had  faced  a  public  an- 


158  Jasmin. 

dience  for  tbe  first  time;  she  Lad  been  received  with  ap- 
plause, and  from  that  moment  she  felt  confidence  in  her 
performances  as  well  as  in  her  labor  of  love. 

The  poet,  with  the  singer  and  harpist,  made  a  tour  in 
the  Southern  provinces,  and  the  two  muses,  Poetry  and 
Music,  went  from  town  to  town,  enlivening  and  enlight- 
ening the  way.  Every  heart  praised  the  poet  for  giving 
his  services  to  his  young  and  beautiful  friend.  They 
applauded  also  the  lovely  woman  who  made  her  harp- 
chords  vibrate  with  her  minstrel's  music.  The  pair  went 
to  Montauban,  Albi,  Toulouse,  and  Nimes;  they  were 
welcomed  at  Avignon,  the  city  of  Petrarch  and  the 
popes.  Marseilles  forgot  for  a  time  her  harbor  and  her 
ships,  and  listened  with  rapture  to  the  musician  and  the 
poet. 

At  Marseilles,  Jasmin  felt  himself  quite  at  home.  In 
the  intervals  between  the  concerts  and  recitals  he  made 
many  new  friends,  as  well  as  visited  many  old  ones.  His 
gay  and  genial  humor,  his  lively  sallies,  his  brilliant  re- 
citals, brought  him  friends  from  every  circle.  M.  Merv, 
in  a  political  effusion,  welcomed  the  Gascon  poet.  He 
was  invited  to  a  fete  of  V Athmee-  Ouvrier  (the  Work- 
man's Athenaeum) ;  after  several  speeches  Jasmin  rose 
and  responded : 

"  I  am  proud,"  he  said,  "of  finding  myself  among  the 
members  of  this  society,  and  of  being  welcomed  by  men 
who  are  doubly  my  brethren — by  the  labor  of  the  hands 
and  by  the  labor  of  the  head.  You  have  moved  me  and 
astonished  me,  and  I  have  incurred  to  V Athmee- Ouvrier 
a  poetical  debt  which  my  muse  can  only  repay  with  the 
most  tender  recollections." 

Many  pleasant  letters  passed  between  Jasmin  and 
Mdlle.  De  Roaldes.  The  lady  entertained  the  liveliest 
gratitude  to  the  poet,  who  had  helped  her  so  nobly  in 


Jasmhi's  Tours  of  Philanthropy.  159 

her  misfortunes.  On  the  morning  after  her  first  success- 
ful appearance  at  Agen  she  addressed  to  him  a  letter  full 
of  praise  and  thankfulness.  She  ended  it  thus:  "Most 
amiable  poet,  I  adore  your  heart,  and  I  do  homage  to 
your  genius."  In  a  future  letter  she  confessed  that  the 
rays  of  the  sun  were  not  less  welcome  than  the  rays  of 
his  genius,  and  that  her  music  would  have  been  compar- 
atively worthless  but  for  his  poetry. 

Towards  the  end  of  their  joint  entertainment  she  again 
wrote  to  him:  "You  have  become,  my  dear  poet,  my 
shower  of  gold,  my  heaven-sent  manna,  while  you  con- 
tinue your  devotion  to  my  personal  interests.  ...  As  a 
poet,  I  give  you  all  the  glory  ;  as  a  friend,  I  owe  you 
the  affection  of  my  filial  heart,  the  hopes  of  a  better 
time,  and  the  consolation  of  my  future  days.  .  .  .  Let  it 
be  remembered  that  this  good  deed  on  your  part  is  due 
to  your  heart  and  will.  May  it  protect  you  during  your 
life,  and  make  you  blest  in  the  life  which  is  to  come!" 

While  at  Nimes  the  two  poet-artisans  met — Reboul 
the  baker  and  Jasmin  the  barber.  Reboul,  who  attended 
the  music  recitation,  went  up  to  Jasmin  and  cordially 
embraced  him,  amid  the  enthusiastic  cheers  of  three 
thousand  people.  Jasmin  afterwards  visited  Reboul  at 
his  bakery,  where  they  had  a  pleasant  interview  with  re- 
spect to  the  patois  of  Provence  and  Gascony.  At  the 
same  time,  it  must  be  observed  that  Reboul  did  not  write 
in  patois,  but  in  classical  French. 

Reboul  had  published  a  volume  of  poems  which  at- 
tracted the  notice  and  praise  of  Lamartine  and  Alexandre 
Dumas.  Perhaps  the  finest  poem  in  the  volume  is  enti- 
tled "The  Angel  and  Child."  Reboul  had  lost  his  wife 
and  child ;  he  sorrowed  greatly  at  their  death,  and  tliis 
poem  was  the  result.  The  idea  is  simple  and  beautiful. 
An  angel,  noticing  a  lovely  child  in  its  cradle,  and  deem- 


160  Jasmin. 

ing  it  too  pure  for  earth,  bears  its  spirit  away  to  heaven. 
The  poem  has  been  admirably  translated  by  Longfellow. 

Dumas,  in  Pictures  of  Travel  in  the  South  of  France, 
relates  an  interview  with  the  baker-poet  of  Nimes. 

"  What  made  you  a  poet  ?"  asked  Dumas. 

"  It  was  sorrow,"  replied  Reboul — "  the  loss  of  a  be- 
loved wife  and  child.  I  was  in  great  grief;  I  sought 
solitude,  and,  finding  no  one  who  could  understand  me, 
poured  forth  my  grief  to  the  Almighty." 

"Yes,"  said  Dumas,  *' I  now  comprehend  your  feel- 
ings. It  is  thus  that  true  poets  become  illustrious. 
How  many  men  of  talent  only  want  a  great  misfortune 
to  become  men  of  genius  !  You  have  told  me  in  a  word 
the  secret  of  your  life;  I  know  it  now  as  well  as  you 
do."  And  yet  Jasmin,  the  contemporary  of  Reboul,  had 
written  all  his  poetry  without  a  sorrow,  and  amid  praise 
and  joyfulness. 

Chateaubriand,  when  in  the  South  of  France,  called 
upon  Reboul.     The  baker  met  him  at  the  door. 

"Are  you  M.  Reboul  ?"  inquired  the  author  of  The 
Martyrs. 

"  Which,  sir — the  baker  or  the  poet  ?" 

"The  poet,  of  course." 

"Then  the  poet  cannot  be  seen  until  mid-day.  At 
present  the  baker  is  working  at  the  oven." 

Chateaubriand  accordingly  retired,  but  returned  at  the 
time  appointed,  and  had  a  long  and  interesting  conversa- 
tion with  Reboul. 

While  at  Montpellier  Jasmin  received  two  letters  from 
Madame  Lafarge,  then  in  prison.  The  circumstances 
connected  with  her  case  were  much  discussed  in  the  jour- 
nals of  the  time.  She  had  married  at  seventeen  a  M. 
Lafarge,  and  found  after  her  marriage  that  he  had  de- 
ceived her  as  to  his  property.     Ill-feeling  arose  between 


Jasmiii's  Tours  of  Philanthropy.  161 

the  unhappy  pair,  and  eventually  she  was  tried  for  poi- 
soning her  husband.  She  was  condemned  with  extenuat- 
ing circumstances,  and  imprisoned  at  Montpellicr  in  1839. 
She  declared  that  she  was  innocent  of  the  crime  imputed 
to  her,  and  Jasmin's  faith  in  the  virtue  of  womanhood 
led  him  to  believe  her.  Her  letters  to  Jasmin  were 
touching. 

*'  Many  pens,"  she  said,  *'  have  celebrated  your  genius ; 
let  mine  touch  your  heart !  Oh,  yes,  sir,  you  are  good, 
noble,  and  generous !  I  preserve  every  word  of  yours  as 
a  dear  consolation;  I  guard  each  of  your  promises  as  a 
holy  hope.  Voltaire  has  saved  Galas.  Sing  for  me,  sir, 
and  I  will  bless  your  memory  to  the  day  of  my  death. 
I  am  innocent !  .  .  .  For  eight  long  years  I  have  suffered ; 
and  I  am  still  suffering  from  the  stain  upon  my  honor. 
I  grieve  for  a  sight  of  the  sun,  but  I  still  love  life.  Sing 
for  me." 

She  again  wrote  to  Jasmin,  endeavoring  to  excite  his 
interest  by  her  appreciation  of  his  poems. 

"  The  spirit  of  your  work,"  she  said,  "  vibrates  through 
me  in  every  form.  What  a  pearl  of  eulogy  is  *  Maltro  1' 
What  a  great  work  is  '  L'Abuglo  !'  In  the  first  of  these 
poems  you  reach  the  sublime  of  love  without  touching  a 
single  chord  of  passion.  What  purity,  and  at  the  same 
time  what  ease  and  tenderness !  It  is  not  only  the  fever 
of  the  heart ;  it  is  life  itself,  its  religion,  its  virtue.  This 
poor  *  Innoucento '  does  not  live  to  love ;  she  loves  to  live. 
.  .  .  Iler  love  diffuses  itself  like  a  perfume — like  the 
scent  of  a  flower.  ...  In  writing  *  Maltro '  your  muse 
becomes  virgin  and  Christian;  and  to  dictate  '  L'Abuglo' 
is  a  crown  of  flowers,  violets  mingled  with  roses,  like 
Tibullus,  Anacreon,  and  Horace." 

And  again:  "Poet,  be  happy;  sing  in  the  language 
of  your  mother,  of  your  infancy,  of  your  loves,  your  sor- 


162  Jasmin. 

rows.  The  Gascon  songs,  revived  by  you,  can  never  be 
forgotten.  Poet,  be  happy  !  The  language  which  you 
love  France  will  learn  to  admire  and  read,  and  your 
brother-poets  will  learn  to  imitate  you.  .  .  .  Spirit  speaks 
to  spirit;  genius  speaks  to  the  heart.  Sing,  poet,  sing! 
Envy  jeers  in  vain ;  your  muse  is  French  ;  better  still,  it 
is  Christian,  and  the  laurel  at  the  end  of  your  course  has 
two  crowns — one  for  the  forehead  of  the  poet,  and  the 
other  for  the  heart  of  the  man.  Grand  actions  bring 
glory  ;  good  deeds  bring  happiness." 

Although  Jasmin  wrote  an  interesting  letter  to  Ma- 
dame Lafarge,  he  did  not  venture  to  sing  or  recite  for 
her  relief  from  prison.     She  died  before  him,  in  1852. 


Jasmin's  Vmet/ard, — "Martha  the  Innocent^   163 


CHAPTER  XV. 
JASMIN'S  VINEYARD.— "MARTHA  THE  INNOCENT." 

Agen,  with  its  narrow  and  crooked  streets,  is  not  alto- 
gether a  pleasant  town,  excepting,  perhaps,  the  beautiful 
promenade  of  the  Gravier,  where  Jasmin  lived.  Yet  the 
neighborhood  of  Agen  is  exceedingly  picturesque,  espe- 
cially the  wooded  crags  of  the  Hermitage  and  the  pretty 
villas  near  the  convent  of  the  Carmelites.  From  these 
lofty  sites  a  splendid  view  of  the  neighboring  country 
is  to  be  seen  alono:  the  windinsjs  of  the  Garonne,  and  far 
off,  towards  the  south,  to  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  Pyrenees. 

Down  beneath  the  Hermitage  and  the  crags  a  road 
winds  up  the  valley  towards  Verona,  once  the  home  of 
the  famous  Scaligers.*  Near  this  place  Jasmin  bought  a 
little  vineyard  and  established  his  Tivoli.  In  this  pretty 
spot  his  muse  found  pure  air,  liberty,  and  privacy.  He 
called  the  place,  like  his  volume  of  poems,  his  "  Papill6te," 
liis  "  Curl-paper."  Here  for  nearly  thirty  years  he  spent 
some  of  his  pleasantest  hours,  in  exercise,  in  reflection, 
and  in  composition.  In  commemoration  of  his  occu- 
pation of  the  site,  he  composed  his  *'  Ma  Bigno  "  (My 
Vineyard),  one  of  the  most  simple  and  graceful  of  his 
poems. 

*  The  elder  Scaliger  had  been  banished  from  Verona,  settled  near 
Agen,  and  gave  the  villa  its  name.  The  tomb  of  the  Scaliger  fam- 
ily in  Verona  is  one  of  the  finest  mausoleums  ever  erected. 


164  Jasmin. 

Jasmin  dedicated  *'  Ma  Bigno "  to  Madame  Louis 
Veill,  of  Paris.  He  told  her  of  his  purchase  of  Papillote, 
a  piece  of  ground  which  he  had  long  desired  to  have, 
and  which  he  had  now  been  able  to  buy  with  the  money 
gained  by  the  sale  of  his  poems. 

He  proceeds  to  describe  the  place : 

"  In  this  tiny  little  vineyard,"  he  says,  *'  my  only  cham- 
ber is  a  grotto.  Nine  cherry-trees :  such  is  my  wood ! 
I  have  six  rows  of  vines,  between  which  I  walk  and  med- 
itate. The  peaches  are  mine :  the  hazel-nuts  are  mine ! 
I  have  two  elms  and  two  fountains.  I  am  indeed  rich ! 
You  may  laugh,  perhaps,  at  my  happiness ;  but  I  wish 
you  to  know  that  I  love  the  earth  and  the  sky.  It  is  a 
living  picture,  sparkling  in  the  sunshine.  Come,"  he 
said,  "and  pluck  my  peaches  from  the  branches;  put 
them  between  your  lovely  teeth,  whiter  than  the  snow. 
Press  them:  from  the  skin  to  the  almond  they  melt  in 
the  mouth — it  is  honey !"  He  next  describes  what  he 
sees  and  hears  from  his  grotto  :  the  beautiful  flowers,  the 
fruit  glowing  in  the  sun,  the  luscious  peaches,  the  notes 
of  the  wood-lark,  the  zug-zug  of  the  nightingale,  the  su- 
perb beauty  of  the  heavens.  "They  all  sing  love,  and 
love  is  always  new." 

He  compares  Paris,  with  its  grand  ladies  and  its  grand 
opera,  with  his  vineyard  and  his  nightingales.  "Paris," 
he  says,  "has  fine  flowers  and  lawns,  but  she  is  too  much 
of  the  grande  dame.  She  is  unhappy,  sleepy.  Here  a 
thousand  hamlets  laugh  by  the  river's  side.  Our  skies 
laugh;  everything  is  happy  ;  everything  lives.  From  the 
month  of  May,  when  our  joyous  summer  arrives,  for  six 
months  the  heavens  resound  with  music.  A  thousand 
nightingales  sing  all  the  night  through.  .  .  .  Your  grand 
opera  is  silent,  while  our  concert  is  in  its  fullest  strain." 

The  poem  ends  with  a  confession  on  the  part  of  the 


Jasmines  Vineyard. — '•''Martha  the  ImiocenV*   165 

poet  of  sundry  pilferings  cotumittcd  by  himself  in  the 
same  place  when  a  boy — of  apple-trees  broken,  hedges 
forced,  and  vine-ladders  scaled,  winding  up  with  the 
words : 

"  Madame,  you  see  I  turn  towards  the  past  without  a 
blush ;  will  you?  What  I  have  robbed  I  return,  and  re- 
turn with  usury.  I  have  no  door  to  my  vineyard ;  only 
two  thorns  bar  its  threshold.  When  through  a  hole  I 
see  the  noses  of  marauders,  instead  of  arming  myself  with 
a  cane  I  turn  and  go  away,  so  that  they  may  come  back. 
He  who  robbed  when  he  was  young  may  in  his  old  age 
allow  himself  to  be  robbed,  too."  A  most  amicable  sen- 
timent, sure  to  be  popular  among  the  rising  generation  of 
Agen. 

"  Ma  Bigno  "  is  written  in  graceful  and  felicitous  verse. 
We  have  endeavored  to  give  a  translation  in  the  appen- 
dix ;  but  the  rendering  of  such  a  work  into  English  is  ex- 
tremely diflScult.  The  soul  will  be  found  wanting;  for 
much  of  the  elegance  of  the  poem  consists  in  the  choice 
of  the  words.  M.  de  Mazade,  editor  of  the  Revue  des 
Deux  Mondes,  said  of  "  Ma  Bigno  "  that  it  was  one  of 
Jasmin's  best  works,  and  that  the  style  and  sentiments 
were  equally  satisfactory  to  the  poetical  mind  and  taste. 

M.  Rodiere,  of  Toulouse,  in  his  brief  memoir  of  Jasmin,* 
says  that  "  it  might  be  thought  that  so  great  a  work  as 
'  Franconnette '  would  have  exhausted  the  poet.  When 
the  aloe  flowers  it  rests  for  nearly  a  hundred  years  before 
it  blooms  again.  But  Jasmin  had  an  inexhaustible  well 
of  poetry  in  liis  soul.  Never,  in  fact,  was  he  more  pro- 
lific than  in  the  two  years  which  followed  the  publication 
of  '  Franconnette.'  Poetry  seemed  to  flow  from  him  like 
a  fountain,  and  it  came  in  various  forms.     His  poems 

•  Journal  de  ToulousCy  July  4, 1 840. 


166  Jasmin. 

have  no  rules  and  little  rhythm,  except  those  which  the 
genius  of  the  poet  chooses  to  give  them  ;  but  there  is  al- 
ways the  most  beautiful  poetry,  perfectly  evident  by  its 
divine  light  and  its  inspired  accents." 

Jasmin,  however,  did  not  compose  with  the  rapidity 
described  by  his  reviewer.  He  could  not  throw  off  a 
poem  at  one  or  many  sittings,  though  he  could  write  an 
impromptu  with  ready  facility.  When  he  had  an  elab- 
orate work  in  hand,  such  as  "  The  Blind  Girl  of  Castel- 
Cuille,"  "Franconnette,"  or  "Martha  the  Innocent,"  ho 
meditated  long  over  it,  and  elaborated  it  with  conscien- 
tious care.  He  arranged  the  plan  in  his  mind,  and  wailed 
for  the  best  words  and  expressions  in  which  to  elaborate 
his  stanzas,  so  as  most  clearly  to  explain  his  true  mean- 
ing. Thus  "  Franconnette  "  cost  him  two  years'  labor. 
Although  he  wrote  of  peasants  in  peasants'  language,  he 
took  care  to  avoid  everything  gross  or  vulgar.  Not  even 
the  most  classical  poet  could  have  displayed  inborn  po- 
liteness— la  politesse  du  cceur — in  a  higher  degree.  At 
the  same  time,  while  he  expressed  passion  in  many  forms, 
it  was  always  with  delicacy,  truth,  and  beauty. 

Notwithstanding  his  constant  philanthropic  journeys, 
he  beguiled  his  time  with  the  germs  of  some  forthcom- 
ing poem,  ready  to  be  elaborated  on  his  return  to  Agcn 
and  his  vineyard. 

His  second  volume  of  poems  was  published  in  1842, 
and  in  a  few  months  it  reached  its  third  edition.  About 
twenty  thousand  copies  of  his  poems  had  by  this  time 
been  issued.  The  sale  of  these  made  him  comparatively 
easy  in  his  circumstances;  and  it  was  mainly  by  their 
profits  that  he  was  enabled  to  buy  his  little  vineyard  near 
Yerona. 

It  may  also  be  mentioned  that  Jasmin  received  a  fur- 
ther increase  of  his  means  from  the  Government  of  Louis 


Jasmhi^s  Vineyard. — ^^ Martha  the  Innocent,'''^    167 

Philippe.  Many  of  his  friends  in  the  South  of  France 
were  of  opinion  that  his  philanthropic  labors  should  be 
publicly  recognized.  While  Jasmin  had  made  numerous 
gifts  to  the  poor  from  the  collections  made  at  his  recita- 
tions ;  while  he  had  helped  to  build  schools,  orphanages, 
asylums,  and  even  churches,  it  was  thought  that  some  rec- 
ompense should  be  awarded  to  him  by  the  State  for  his 
self-sacrificing  labors. 

In  1843  the  Duchess  of  Orleans  bad  a  golden  medal 
struck  in  his  honor ;  and  M.  Dumon,  when  presenting  it 
to  Jasmin,  announced  that  the  Minister  of  Instruction 
had  inscribed  his  name  among  the  men  of  letters  whoso 
works  the  Government  was  desirous  of  encouraging,  and 
that  consequently  a  pension  had  been  awarded  to  him 
of  1,000  francs  per  annum.  This  welcome  news  was 
shortly  after  confirmed  by  the  Minister  of  Instruction  him- 
self. "  I  am  happy,"  said  M.  Yillemain,  "  to  bear  witness 
to  the  merit  of  your  writings  and  the  originality  of  your 
poetry,  as  well  as  to  the  loyalty  of  your  sentiments." 

The  minister  was  not,  however,  satisfied  with  conferring 
this  favor.  It  was  ordered  that  Jasmin  should  be  made 
a  Chevalier  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  at  the  same  time 
tliat  Balzac,  Frederick  Soulie,  and  Alfred  de  Musset  were 
advanced  to  the  same  role  of  honor.  The  minister,  in 
conveying  the  insignia  to  Jasmin,  said,  "  Your  actions  are 
equal  to  your  works:  you  build  churches,  you  succor 
indigence,  you  are  a  powerful  benefactor,  and  your  muse 
is  the  sister  of  Charity." 

These  unexpected  honors  made  no  difference  in  the 
poet's  daily  life.  He  shaved  and  curled  hair  as  before. 
He  lived  in  the  same  humble  shop  on  the  Gravier.  He 
was  not  in  the  least  puffed  up.  His  additional  income 
merely  enabled  him  to  defray  his  expenses  while  on  his 
charitable  journeys  on  behalf  of  his  poorer  neighbors. 


168  Jasmin. 

He  had  no  desire  to  be  rich,  and  he  was  now  more  than 
comfortable  in  his  position  in  life. 

When  the  news  arrived  at  Agen  that  Jasmin  had  been 
made  a  Chevalier  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  his  salon  was 
crowded  with  sympathetic  admirers.  In  the  evening  a 
serenade  was  performed  before  his  door  on  the  Gravier 
by  the  Philharmonic  Society  of  x\gen.  Indeed,  the  whole 
town  was  filled  with  joy  at  the  acknowledged  celebrity 
of  their  poet. 

A  few  years  later  Pope  Pius  IX.  conferred  upon  Jas- 
min the  honor  of  Chevalier  of  the  Order  of  St.  Gregory 
the  Great.  The  insignia  of  the  Order  was  handed  to  the 
poet  by  Monseigncur  de  Vezins,  Bishop  of  Agen,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1850.  Who  could  have  thought  that  the  barber- 
poet  would  have  been  so  honored  by  his  King  and  by 
the  head  of  his  Church  ? 

Jasmin's  next  important  poem  after  the  production  of 
"Franconnette"  was  "  Martha  the  Innocent"  (in  Gascon, 
"Maltro  rinnoucento ;"  in  French,  "  Marthe  la  Folic"). 
It  is,  like  "  The  Blind  Girl,"  a  touching  story  of  disap- 
pointment in  love.  Martha  was  an  orphan  living  at  La- 
fitte,  on  the  banks  of  the  Lot.  She  was  betrothed  to  a 
young  fellow,  but  the  conscription  forbade  their  union. 
The  conscript  was  sent  to  the  wars  of  the  first  Napoleon, 
which  were  then  raging.  The  orphan  sold  her  little  cot- 
tage in  the  hope  of  buying  him  off,  or  providing  him 
with  a  substitute.  But  it  was  all  in  vain.  He  was  com- 
pelled to  follow  his  regiment. 

She  was  a  good  and  pious  girl,  beloved  by  all.  She 
was  also  beautiful — tall,  fair,  and  handsome,  with  eyes  of 
blue — "the  blue  of  heaven,"  according  to  Jasmin  : 

"  With  grace  so  fine,  and  air  so  sweet, 
She  was  a  lady  among  peasants." 


Jasmin's  Vineyard. — ^'Martha  the  Innocent^    169 

The  war  came  to  an  end  for  a  time.  The  soldier  was 
discharged  and  returned  home. 

Martha  went  out  to  meet  him;  but  alas!  like  many 
other  fickle  men,  he  liad  met  and  married  another.  It 
was  his  wife  who  accompanied  him  homeward.  Martha 
could  not  bear  the  terrible  calamity  of  her  blighted  love. 
She  became  crazy — almost  an  idiot. 

She  ran  away  from  her  home  at  Lafitte,  and  wandered 
about  the  country.  Jasmin,  when  a  boy,  had  often  seen 
the  crazy  woman  wandering  about  the  streets  of  Agen 
with  a  basket  on  her  arm,  begging  for  bread.  Even  in 
her  rags  she  had  the  remains  of  beauty.  The  children 
ran  after  her  and  cried,  "  Martha,  a  soldier !"  then  she  ran 
off  and  concealed  herself. 

Like  other  children  of  his  age.  Jasmin  teased  her;  and 
now,  after  more  than  thirty  years,  he  proposed  to  atone 
for  his  childish  folly  by  converting  her  sad  story  into  a 
still  sadder  poem. 

"Martha  the  Innocent"  is  a  charming  poem,  full  of 
grace,  harmony,  and  beauty.  Jasmin  often  recited  it, 
and  drew  tears  from  many  eyes.  In  the  introduction  he 
related  his  own  part  in  her  history.  "It  all  came  back 
upon  liim,"  he  said,  "and  now  he  recited  the  story  of 
this  martyr  of  love."  * 

*  In  the  preface  to  the  poem,  which  was  published  in  1845,  the 
editor  observes:  "This  little  drama  begins  in  1798,  at  Lafitte,  a 
pretty  market-town  on  the  banks  of  the  Lot,  near  Clairac,  and  ends 
in  1802.  When  Martha  became  an  idiot  she  ran  away  from  the 
town  to  which  she  belonged  and  went  to  Agen.  When  seen  in  the 
streets  of  that  town  she  became  an  object  of  commiseration  to 
many,  but  the  children  pursued  her,  calling  out,  *  Martha,  a  sol- 
dier !'  Sometimes  she  disappeared  for  two  weeks  at  a  time,  and 
the  people  would  then  observe, '  Martha  has  hidden  herself ;  she 
must  now  be  very  hungry.'  More  than  once  Jasmin,  in  his  cljild- 
hood,  pursued  Martha  with  the  usual  cry  of  *  A  soldier  !*  lie  little 
8 


170  Jasmin, 

After  the  completion  of  "Martha,"  new  triumphs 
awaited  Jasmin  in  the  South  of  France.  In  1846  he 
again  went  to  Toulouse  on  a  labor  of  love.  He  recited 
his  new  poem  in  the  Room  of  the- Illustrious  at  the  Cap- 
itol. A  brilliant  assembly  was  present.  Flowers  per- 
fumed the  air.  The  entire  audience  rose  and  applauded 
the  poet.  The  ladies  smiled  and  wept  by  turns.  Jas- 
min seemed  to  possess  an  electric  influence.  His  clear, 
harmonious,  and  flexible  voice  gave  emphasis  by  its  rich, 
sympathetic  tones  to  the  artistic  elements  of  his  story. 

The  man  who  thus  evoked  such  rapture  from  his  au- 
dience was  not  arrayed  in  gorgeous  costume.  He  was  a 
little  dark-eyed  man  of  the  working-class,  clothed  in  a 
quiet  suit  of  black. 

At  the  close  of  the  recitation  the  assembly,  ravished 
with  his  performance,  threw  him  a  wreath  of  flowers  and 
laurels — more  modest,  though  not  less  precious  than  the 
golden  branch  which  they  had  previously  conferred  upon 
him.  Jasmin  thanked  them  most  heartily  for  their  wel- 
come. "  My  Muse,"  he  said,  "  with  its  glorious  branch 
of  gold,  little  dreamed  of  gleaning  anything  more  from 
Toulouse;  but  Toulouse  has  again  invited  me  to  this 
day's  festival,  and  I  feel  more  happy  than  a  king,  because 
my  poem  is  enthroned  in  the  midst  of  the  Capitol.  Your 
hands  have  applauded  me  throughout,  and  you  have  con- 
cluded by  throwing  this  crown  of  flowers  at  my  feet." 

It  was  then  resolved  to  invite  Jasmin  to  a  banquet. 
Forty  ladies,  the  cream  of  Toulousian  ^ciety,  organized 
the  proceedings,  and  the  banquet  was  given  at  the  pal- 


thought  that  at  a  future  time  he  should  make  some  compensation 
for  his  sarcasms  by  writing  the  touching  poem  of  '  Martha  tlie  Inno- 
cent;' but  this  merely  revealed  the  goodness  of  his  heart  and  his 
exquisite  sensibility.     Martha  died  at  Agen  in  1834." 


Jasmin'' s  Vineyard, — ^^ Martha  the  Innocent?"*   171 

ace  of  M.  de  Narbonnc.  At  the  end  of  the  proceedings 
a  young  lady  stepped  forward,  and  placed  upon  the  poet's 
head  a  crown  of  immortelles  and  violets  joined  together 
by  a  ribbon  with  golden  threads,  on  which  was  inscribed 
in  letters  of  gold,  "  Your  thoughts  are  immortal !"  Was 
not  this  enough  to  turn  any  poor  poet's  head  ?  The  la- 
dies clapped  their  hands.  What  could  Jasmin  say  ?  "  It 
is  enough,"  he  said,  "  to  make  angels  jealous  !"  The  din- 
ner ended  with  a  toast  to  the  author  of  "  Martha,"  who 
still  wore  the  crown  upon  his  brow. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  enthusiasm  with  which 
the  poet  was  received  all  through  the  South.  At  Dax, 
the  ladies,  for  want  of  crowns  of  laurels  to  cover  him, 
tore  the  flowers  and  feathers  from  their  bonnets,  and 
threw  them  at  his  feet.  In  another  town  the  ladies  rose 
and  invaded  the  platform  where  Jasmin  stood ;  they 
plucked  from  his  button-hole  the  ribbon  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor,  and  divided  it  among  them,  as  a  precious  relic 
of  their  glorious  poet. 

He  was  received  at  Gers  and  Condon  with  equal  en- 
thusiasm. At  Condon  he  charmed  his  audience  with  his 
recitations  for  about  five  hours.  Frenzies  of  applause 
greeted  him.  He  was  invited  to  a  banquet,  where  he  re- 
ceived the  usual  praises.  When  the  banquet  was  over, 
and  Jasmin  escaped,  he  was  met  in  the  street  by  crowds 
of  people,  who  wished  to  grasp  him  by  the  liand.  He 
recited  to  them  in  the  open  air  his  poem  on  "  Charity." 
They  compared  Jasmin  to  O'Connell ;  but  the  barber  of 
Agen,  by  the  power  which  he  exercised  for  the  good  of 
the  people,  proved  himself  more  than  equal  to  the  great- 
est of  agitators. 

Sainte-Beuve  quotes  with  keen  enjoyment*  the  banter- 

•  Causeries  du  Lundi,  iv.  241  (  edition  1862). 


172  Jasmin. 

ing  letter  wbicli  Jasmin  sent  to  Peyrottes,  a  Provencal 
poet,  who  challenged  him  to  a  poetical  combat.  It  was 
while  he  was  making  one  of  his  charitable  tours  through 
Languedoc  that  Jasmin  received  the  following  letter  (De- 
cember 24,  1847): 

"  Sir, — I  dare,  in  my  temerity,  which  may  look  like 
hardihood,  to  propose  to  you  a  challenge.  Will  you  have 
the  goodness  to  accept  it?  In  the  Middle  Ages  the 
Troubadours  did  not  disdain  such  a  challenge  as  that 
which,  in  my  audacity,  I  now  propose  to  you. 

"I  will  place  myself  at  your  disposal  at  Montpellier 
on  any  day  and  at  any  hour  that  may  be  most  conven- 
ient to  you.  We  shall  name  four  persons  of  literary 
standing  to  give  us  three  subjects  with  which  we  are  to 
deal  for  twenty-four  hours.  W^e  shall  be  shut  up  togeth- 
er. Sentries  will  stand  at  the  door.  Only  our  provisions 
shall  pass  through. 

"A  son  of  Herault,  I  will  support  the  honor  and  the 
glory  of  my  country!  And  as  in  such  circumstances  a 
good  object  is  indispensable,  the  three  subjects  given  must 
be  printed  and  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  Creche  of 
Montpellier."  Peyrotte  ended  his  letter  with  a  postscript, 
in  which  he  said  that  he  would  circulate  his  challenge 
among  the  most  eminent  persons  in  Montpellier. 

Jasmin  answered  this  letter  as  follows: 

"Sir, — I  did  not  receive  your  poetical  challenge  until 
the  day  before  yesterday,  on  the  point  of  my  departure 
for  home ;  but  I  must  tell  you  that,  thougli  I  have  re- 
ceived it,  I  cannot  accept  it. 

"Do  you  really  propose  to  my  muse,  which  aims  at 
free  air  and  liberty,  to  shut  myself  up  in  a  close  room, 
guarded  by  sentinels,  who  could  only  allow  provisions  to 
enter,  and  there  to  treat  of  three  given  subjects  in  twen- 
ty-four hours?     Three  subjects  in  twenty -four  hours! 


Jasmines  Vineyard. — ^^ Martha  the  Innocent.^'*   1T3 

You  frighten  me,  sir,  for  the  peril  in  which  you  place  my 
muse. 

"  I  must  inform  you,  in  all  humility,  that  I  often  can- 
not compose  more  than  two  or  three  lines  a  day.  My 
five  poems, 'L'Aveugle,'  'Mes  Souvenirs,'  'Franconnette,' 
*  Martha  the  Innocent,'  and  'Les  Deux  Jumeaux,'  have 
cost  me  ten  years'  work,  and  they  only  contain  in  all  but 
2,400  verses!  ...  I  cannot  write  poetry  by  command. 
I  cannot  be  a  prisoner  while  I  compose.  Therefore  I 
decline  to  enter  the  lists  with  you. 

"  The  courser  who  drags  his  chariot  with  difficulty,  al- 
beit he  may  arrive  at  the  goal,  cannot  contend  with  the 
fiery  locomotive  of  the  iron  railway.  The  art  which  pro- 
duces verses  one  by  one  depends  upon  inspiration,  not 
upon  manufacture.  Therefore  my  muse  declares  itself 
vanquished  in  advance;  and  I  authorize  you  to  publish 
my  refusal  of  your  challenge." 

In  a  postscript  Jasmin  added ;  "  Now  that  you  have 
made  the  acquaintance  of  my  muse,  I  will,  in  a  few 
words,  introduce  you  to  the  man:  I  love  glory,  but  the 
success  of  others  never  troubles  my  sleep  at  night  1" 

"  When  one  finds,"  said  Sainte-Beuve,  "  this  theory  of 
work  pushed  to  such  a  degree  by  Jasmin,  with  whom  the 
spark  of  inspiration  seems  always  so  prompt  and  natural, 
what  a  sad  return  we  have  of  the  poetical  wealth  dissi- 
pated by  the  poets  of  our  day  !"  Sainte-Beuve  summed 
up  his  praise  of  the  Gascon  poet  by  insisting  that  he  was 
invaribly  sober  in  his  tone. 

"I  have  learned,'*  said  Jasmin  of  himself,  "that  in 
moments  of  heat  and  emotion  we  may  bo  eloquent  or 
laconic,  alike  in  speech  and  action — unconscious  poets,  in 
fact ;  but  I  have  also  learned  that  it  is  possible  for  a  poet 
to  become  all  this  voluntarily  by  dint  of  patient  toil  and 
conscientious  labor  1" 


174  Jasmin. 

Jasmin  was  not  the  man  to  rest  upon  his  laurels. 
Shortly  after  his  visit  to  Paris  in  1842  he  began  to  com- 
pose his  "  Martha  the  Innocent,"  which  we  have  already 
briefly  described.  Two  years  later  he  composed  "  Les 
Deux  Freres  Jumeanx" — a  story  of  paternal  and  moth- 
erly affection.  This  was  followed  by  his  "  Ma  Big- 
no"  (My  Vineyard)  and  "La  Semaine  d'un  Fils"  (The 
Week's  Work  of  a  Son),  which  a  foot-note  tells  us  is 
historical,  the  event  having  recently  occurred  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Agen. 

A  short  description  may  be  given  of  this  affecting 
story.  The  poem  is  divided  into  three  parts.  In  the 
first,  a  young  boy  and  his  sister,  Abel  and  Jeanne,  are 
described  as  kneeling  before  a  cross  in  the  moonlight, 
praying  to  the  Virgin  to  cure  their  father.  "Mother 
of  God,  Virgin  compassionate,  send  down  thine  angel 
and  cure  our  sick  father.  Our  mother  will  then  be  hap- 
py, and  we,  Blessed  Virgin,  will  love  and  praise  thee  for- 
ever." 

The  Virgin  hears  their  prayer,  and  the  father  is  cured. 
A  woman  opens  the  door  of  a  neighboring  house  and  ex- 
claims, joyously,  "  Poor  little  ones,  death  has  departed. 
The  poison  of  the  fever  is  counteracted,  and  your  father's 
life  is  saved.  Come,  little  lambs,  and  pray  to  God  with 
me."  They  all  three  kneel  and  pray  by  the  side  of  the 
good  father  Hilaire,  formerly  a  brave  soldier,  but  now 
a  mason's  laborer.     This  ends  the  first  part. 

The  second  begins  with  a  description  of  morning.  The 
sun  shines  through  the  glass  of  the  casement  mended 
with  paper,  yet  the  morning  rays  are  bright  and  glori- 
ous. Little  Abel  glides  into  his  father's  room.  He 
is  told  that  he  must  go  to  the  house  of  his  preceptor 
to-day,  for  he  must  learn  to  read  and  write.  Abel  is 
"  more  pretty  than  strong ;"  he  is  to  be  an  homme  de 


Jasmin's  Vineyard. — "Martha  (he  InnocenV^   175 

lettres,  as  his  little  arms  would  fail  him  if  he  were  to 
handle  the  rough  stones  of  his  father's  trade.  Father 
and  son  embraced  each  other. 

For  a  few  days  all  goes  well,  but  on  the  fourth,  a  Sun- 
day, a  command  comes  from  the  master-mason  that  if 
Hilaire  does  not  return  to  his  work  to-morrow  his  place 
shall  be  given  to  another.  This  news  spreads  dismay  and 
consternation  among  them  all.  Hilaire  declares  that  he 
is  cured,  tries  to  rise  from  his  bed,  but  falls  prostrate 
through  weakness.  It  will  take  a  week  yet  to  re-estab- 
lish his  health. 

The  soul  of  little  Abel  is  stirred.  He  dries  his  tears 
and  assumes  the  air  of  a  man ;  he  feels  some  strength  in 
his  little  arms.  He  goes  out  and  proceeds  to  the  house 
of  the  master-mason.  When  he  returns,  he  is  no  longer 
sorrowful ;  "  honey  was  in  his  mouth,  and  his  eyes  were 
smiling."  He  said,  "  My  father,  rest  yourself ;  gain 
strength  and  courage ;  you  have  the  whole  week  before 
you.  Then  you  may  labor.  Some  one  who  loves  you 
will  do  your  work,  and  you  shall  still  keep  your  place." 
Thus  ends  the  second  part. 

The  third  begins :  "  Behold  our  little  Abel,  who  no 
longer  toils  at  the  school-desk,  but  in  the  workshop.  In 
the  evenings  he  becomes  again  a  petit  monsieur ;  and, 
the  better  to  deceive  his  father,  speaks  of  books,  papers, 
and  writings,  and  with  a  wink  replies  to  the  inquiring 
look  of  his  mother  {et  (Vun  din  (Toeil  repond  aux  dins 
des  yeux  de  sa  mere).  Four  days  pass  thus.  On  the 
fifth,  Friday,  Hilaire,  now  cured,  leaves  his  house  at 
mid-day. 

" '  But  fatal  Friday,  God  has  made  thee  for  sorrow !' " 

The  father  goes  to  the  place  where  the  masons  are  at 
work.     Though  the  hour  for  luncheon  has  not  arrived, 


176  Jasmin. 

yet  no  one  is  seen  on  the  platforms  above;  and  0  hon 
Dieu  !  what  a  crowd  of  people  is  seen  at  the  foot  of  the 
building !  Master,  workmen,  neighbors — all  are  there,  in 
haste  and  tumult.  A  workman  has  fallen  from  the  scaf- 
fold. It  is  poor  little  Abel.  Hilaire  pressed  forward  to 
see  his  beloved  boy  lie  bleeding  on  the  ground.  Abel  is 
dying,  but  before  he  expires,  he  whispers, "  Master,  I  have 
not  been  able  to  finish  the  work,  but  for  my  poor  moth- 
er's sake  do  not  dismiss  my  father  because  there  is  one 
day  short !"  The  boy  died,  and  was  carried  home  by  his 
sorrowful  parent.  The  place  was  preserved  for  Ililaire, 
and  his  wages  were  even  doubled.  But  it  was  too  late. 
One  morning  death  closed  his  eyelids ;  and  the  good  fa- 
ther went  to  take  another  place — in  the  tomb  by  the  side 
of  his  son. 

Jasmin   dedicated  this  poem   to  Lamartine,  who  an- 
swered his  dedication  as  follows : 

"Paris,  April  28,  1849. 
"  My  dear  Brother, — I  am  proud  to  read  my  name 
in  the  language  which  you  have  made  classic ;  more  proud 
still  of  the  beautiful  verses  in  which  you  embalm  the  rec- 
ollection of  our  three  months  of  struggle  with  the  dem- 
agogues against  our  true  republic.  Poets  entertain  living 
presentiments  of  posterity.  I  accept  your  omen.  Your 
poem  has  made  us  weep.  You  are  the  only  epic  writer 
of  our  time,  the  sensible  and  pathetic  Homer  of  the  peo- 
ple {proUtaires).  Others  sing,  but  you  feel.  I  have  seen 
your  son,  who  has  three  times  sheltered  me  with  his  bay- 
onet— in  March  and  April.  He  appears  to  me  worthy  of 
your  name.  Lamartine." 

Besides  the  above  poems,  Jasmin  composed  "  Le  Pretre 
sans  Eglise"  (The  Priest  without  a  Church),  which  forms 


Jasmin's  Vineyard. — ^^ Martha  the  Innocent.''''   Ill 

the  subject  of  the  next  cbapter.  These  poems,  with  oth- 
er songs  and  impromptus,  were  publislied  in  1851,  form- 
ing the  third  volume  of  his  Papillotos.  After  Jasmin 
had  completed  his  masterpieces,  he  again  devoted  himself 
to  the  cause  of  charity.  Before  he  had  merely  walked ; 
now  he  soared  aloft.  What  he  accomplished  will  be  as- 
certained in  the  following  pages. 
8* 


178  Jasmin, 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  PRIEST  WITHOUT  A  CHURCH. 

The  Abbe  Masson,  priest  of  Vergt  in  Perigord,  found 
the  cLurch  in  which  he  oflSciated  so  decayed  and  crum- 
bling that  he  was  obliged  to  close  it.  It  had  long  been 
in  a  ruinous  condition.  The  walls  were  cracked,  and 
pieces  of  plaster  and  even  brick  fell  down  upon  the 
heads  of  the  congregation  ;  and  for  their  sake,  as  well 
as  for  his  own,  the  Abbe  Masson  was  obliged  to  discon- 
tinue the  services.  At  length  he  resolved  to  pull  down 
the  ruined  building  and  erect  another  church  in  its  place. 

Yergt  is  not  a  town  of  any  considerable  importance. 
It  contains  the  ruins  of  a  fortress  built  by  the  English 
while  this  part  of  France  was  in  their  possession.  At  a 
later  period  a  bloody  battle  was  fought  in  the  neighbor- 
hood between  the  Catholics  and  the  Huguenots.  In- 
deed, the  whole  of  the  South  of  France  was  for  a  long 
period  disturbed  by  the  civil  war  which  raged  between 
these  sections  of  Christians.  Though  both  Eoman  Cath- 
olics and  Protestants  still  exist  at  Vergt  they  now  live 
together  in  peace  and  harmony. 

Vergt  is  the  chief  town  of  the  canton,  and  contains 
about  1800  inhabitants.  It  is  a  small  but  picturesque 
town,  the  buildings  being  half  concealed  by  foliage  and 
chestnut-trees.  Not  far  off,  by  the  river  Candou,  the 
scenery  reminds  one  of  the  wooded  valley  at  Bolton  Pri- 
ory in  Yorkshire. 


The  Priest  loithout  a  Church.  179 

Though  the  Abbe  Masson  was  a  man  of  power  and 
vigor,  he  found  it  very  difficult  to  obtain  funds  from  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  for  tlie  purpose  of  rebuilding  his 
church.  Tliere  were  no  Ecclesiastical  Commissioners  to 
whom  he  could  appeal,  and  the  people  of  the  neighbor- 
liood  were  too  limited  in  their  circumstances  to  help  him 
to  any  large  extent. 

However,  lie  said  to  himself, "  Heaven  helps  those  who 
help  themselves;"  or,  rather,  according  to  the  Southern 
proverb.  Qui  trahaillo,  Thion  li  haillo  (Who  is  diligent, 
God  helps).  The  priest  began  his  work  with  much  zeal. 
He  collected  what  he  could  in  Vergt  and  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  set  the  builders  to  work.  He  hoped  that 
Providence  would  help  him  in  collecting  the  rest  of  the 
building  fund. 

But  the  rebuilding  of  a  church  is  a  formidable  affair; 
and  perhaps  the  priest,  not  being  a  man  of  business,  did 
not  count  the  cost  of  the  undertaking.  He  may  have 
"counted  his  chickens  before  they  were  hatched."  Be- 
fore long  the  priest's  funds  again  ran  short.  He  had 
begun  the  rebuilding  in  1840;  the  work  went  on  for 
about  a  year;  but  in  1841  the  builders  had  to  stop  their 
operations,  as  the  Abbe  Masson's  funds  were  entirely  ex- 
hausted. 

What  was  he  to  do  now  ?  He  suddenly  remembered 
the  barber  of  Agcn,  who  was  always  willing  to  give  his 
friendly  help.  He  had  established  Mdlle.  Roald^s  as  a 
musician  a  few  years  before;  he  had  helped  to  build 
schools,  orphanages,  asylums,  and  such  like.  But  he  had 
never  helped  to  build  a  church.  Would  he  now  help 
iiim  to  rebuild  the  church  of  Vergt? 

The  abbe  did  not  know  Jasmin  personally,  but  he 
went  over  to  Agen,  and,  through  a  relative,  made  his 
acquaintance.      Thus  the  abbe  and   the  poet  came  to- 


180  Jasmin. 

gether.  After  the  priest  had  made  an  explanation  of 
his  position,  and  of  his  difficulties  in  obtaining  money 
for  the  rebuilding  of  the  church  of  Vergt,  Jasmin  at  once 
complied  with  the  request  that  he  would  come  over  and 
help  him.  They  arranged  for  a  circuit  of  visits  through- 
out the  district — the  priest  with  his  address  and  Jasmin 
with  his  poems. 

Jasmin  set  out  for  Vergt  in  January,  1843.  He  was 
received  at  the  border  of  the  canton  by  a  numerous  and 
brilliant  escort  of  cavalry,  which  accompanied  him  to  the 
presbytery.  He  remained  there  for  two  days,  conferring 
with  the  abbe.  Then  the  two  set  out  together  for  Peri- 
gueux,  the  chief  city  of  the  province,  accompanied  on 
their  departure  by  the  members  of  the  municipal  coun- 
cil and  the  leading  men  of  the  town. 

The  first  meeting  was  held  in  the  theatre  of  Perigueux, 
which  was  crowded  from  floor  to  ceiling,  and  many  re- 
mained outside  who  could  not  obtain  admission.  The 
mayor  and  municipal  councillors  were  present  to  wel- 
come and  introduce  the  poet.  On  this  occasion  Jasmin 
recited,  for  the  first  time,  "The  Ruined  Church"  (in  Gas- 
con, La  Glhjzo  Descapelado),  composed  in  one  of  his 
happiest  moments.  Jasmin  compared  himself  to  Am- 
phion,  the  sweet  singer  of  Greece,  who  by  his  musical 
powers  enabled  a  city  to  be  built ;  and  now  the  poet  in- 
voted  the  citizens  of  Perigueux  to  enable  the  Abbe  Mas- 
son  to  rebuild  his  church.  His  poem  was  received  with 
enthusiasm  and  almost  with  tears  of  joy  at  the  pleading 
of  Jasmin.  There  was  a  shower  of  silver  and  gold.  The 
priest  was  overjoyed  at  the  popularity  of  his  colleague, 
and  also  at  his  purse,  which  was  filled  with  offerings. 

While  at  Perigueux  the  poet  and  the  priest  enjoyed 
the  hospitality  of  M.  August  Dupont,  to  whom  Jasmin, 
in  thanks,  dedicated   a  piece  of  poetry.     Other  enter- 


The  Priest  loithout  a  Church.  181 

tainmcnts  followed — matinees  and  soirees.  Jasmin  re- 
cited some  of  his  poems  before  the  professors  and  stu- 
dents at  the  college,  and  at  other  places  of  public 
instruction.  Then  came  banquets — aristocratic  and  pop- 
ular—  and,  as  usual^  a  banquet  of  the  hair- dressers. 
There  was  quite  an  ovation  in  the  city  while  he  re- 
mained there. 

But  other  calls  awaited  Jasmin.  He  received  depu- 
tations from  many  of  the  towns  in  the  department  so- 
liciting his  appearance  and  the  recitation  of  his  poems. 
He  had  to  portion  out  his  time  with  care,  and  to  ar- 
range the  programme  of  his  visits.  When  the  two  pil- 
grims started  on  their  journey  they  were  frequently  in- 
terrupted by  crowds  of  people,  who  would  not  allow 
Jasmin  to  pass  without  reciting  some  of  his  poetry. 
Jasmin  and  Masson  travelled  by  the  post-office  car — the 
cheapest  of  all  conveyances — but  at  Montignac  they 
were  stopped  by  a  crowd  of  people,  and  Jasmin  had  to 
undergo  the  same  process.  Free  and  hearty,  he  was  al- 
ways willing  to  comply  with  their  requests.  That  day 
the  postman  arrived  at  his  destination  three  hours  after 
his  appointed  time. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  February,  when  darkness  comes 
on  80  quickly,  that  Jasmin  informed  the  magistrates  of 
Sarlat,  whither  he  was  bound,  that  he  would  be  there  by 
five  o'clock.  But  they  waited  and  waited  for  him  and 
the  priest  at  the  entrance  to  the  town,  attended  by  the 
clergy,  the  sub-prefect,  the  town  councillors,  and  a  crowd 
of  people.  It  was  a  cold  and  dreary  night.  Still  no 
Jasmin  !  They  waited  for  three  long  hours.  At  last 
Jasmin  appeared  on  the  post-office  car.  "There  ho 
comes  at  last !"  was  the  general  cry.  His  arrival  was 
greeted  with  enthusiastic  cheers.  It  was  now  quite  dark. 
The   poet   and   the   priest   entered    Sarlat   in   triumph, 


182  Jasmin. 

amid  the  glare  of  torches  and  the  joyful  shouts  of  the 
multitude.  Then  came  the  priest's  address,  Jasmin's 
recitations,  and  the  final  collection  of  offerings. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  the  scenes,  however  im- 
pressive, which  occurred  during  the  journey  of  the  poet 
and  the  priest.  There  was  the  same  amount  of  enthu- 
siasm at  Nontron,  Bergerac,  and  the  other  towns  which 
they  visited.  At  Nontron,  M.  A.  de  Calvimont,  the  sub- 
prefect,  welcomed  Jasmin  with  the  following  lines: 

"To  Jiismiu,  our  grand  poet, 
The  painter  of  humanity  ; 
For  him,  elect  of  heaven,  life  is  :i  fete 
Ending  in  immortality." 

Jasmin  replied  to  this  with  some  impromptu  lines, 
"  To  Poetry,"  dedicated  to  the  sub-prefect.  At  Bergerac 
he  wrote  his  "  Adieu  to  Perigord,"  in  which  he  conveyed 
his  thanks  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  department  for  the 
kindness  with  which  they  had  received  him  and  his  com- 
panion. This,  their  first  journey  through  Perigord,  was 
brought  to  a  close  at  the  end  of  February,  1843. 

The  result  of  this  brilliant  journey  was  very  success- 
ful. The  purse  of  the  abbe  was  now  sufficiently  well 
filled  to  enable  him  to  proceed  with  the  rebuilding  of 
the  church  of  Vergt ;  and  the  work  was  so  well  ad- 
vanced that  by  the  23d  of  the  following  month  of  July 
it  was  ready  for  consecration.  A  solemn  ceremony  then 
took  place.  Six  bishops,  including  an  archbishop,  and 
three  hundred  priests  were  present,  with  more  than  fif- 
teen thousand  people  of  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  life. 
Never  had  such  a  ceremony  been  seen  before — at  least 
in  so  small  a  town. 

The  Cardinal  Gousset,  Archbishop  of  Rheims,  after 
consecrating  the  church,  turned  to  Jasmin,  and  said  : 


The  Priest  without  a  Church.  183 

"Poet,  we  cannot  avoid  the  recognition  of  your  self- 
sacrificing  labors  in  the  rebuilding  of  this  church ;  and 
we  shall  be  happy  if  you  will  consent  to  say  a  few  words 
before  we  part." 

"  Monseigneur,"  replied  Jasmin,  "can  yon  believe  that 
my  muse  has  labored  for  fifteen  days  and  fifteen  nights 
that  I  should  interrupt  this  day  of  the  fete?  Vergt 
keeps  fete  to-day  for  religion,  but  not  for  poetry,  though 
it  welcomes  and  loves  it.  The  church  has  six  pontiffs ; 
the  poet  is  only  a  subdeacon  ;  but  if  I  must  sing  my 
liymn  officially  it  must  be  elsewhere." 

The  archbishop — a  man  of  intelligence  who  under- 
stood the  feelings  of  poets — promised,  at  the  collation 
which  followed  the  consecration,  to  give  Jasmin  the  op- 
portunity of  reciting  the  verses  which  he  had  composed 
for  the  occasion.  The  poem  was  entitled  "A  Priest  with- 
out a  Church  "  (in  Gascon,  Lou  Prhte  sans  Gleyzo), 
dedicated  to  M.  Masson,  the  cure  of  Vcrgt.  In  his 
verses  the  poet  described  the  influence  of  a  noble  church 
upon  the  imagination  as  well  as  the  religion  of  the  peo- 
ple. But  he  said  nothing  of  his  own  labors  in  collecting 
the  necessary  funds  for  the  rebuilding  of  the  church. 
The  recitation  of  the  poem  was  received  with  enthusiasm. 

Monseigneur  Bertaud,  who  preached  in  the  afternoon 
on  the "  Infinity  of  God,"  tonchingly  referred  to  the 
poems  of  Jasmin,  and  developed  the  subject  so  happily 
referred  to  by  the  poet. 

"Such  examples  as  his,"  he  said,  "such  delicate  and 
generous  sentiments  mingled  together,  elevate  poetry 
and  show  its  noble  origin,  so  that  we  cannot  listen  to 
him  without  the  gravest  emotion."* 

*Tlie  whole  of  the  interview  between  the  Archbishop  of  Rheims 
and  Jnsmin  is  given  by  Sainte-Beuvein  Causeries  da  Lundi\  iv,  250. 


184  Jasmin. 

It  was  a  great  day  for  Vergt,  and  also  a  great  day  for 
the  poet.  The  consecration  of  the  church  amid  so  large 
an  assemblage  of  clergy  and  people  occasioned  great  ex- 
citement in  the  South.  It  was  noised  abroad  in  the  pub- 
lic journals,  and  even  in  the  foreign  press.  Jasmin's  fame 
became  greater  than  ever ;  and  his  barber's  shop  at  Agen 
became,  as  it  were,  a  shrine,  where  pilgrims,  passing 
through  the  district,  stopped  to  visit  him  and  praise  his 
almost  divine  efforts  to  help  the  cause  of  religion  and 
civilization. 

The  local  enthusiasm  was  not,  however,  without  its 
drawbacks.  The  success  of  the  curate  of  Vergt  occa- 
sioned a  good  deal  of  jealousy.  Why  should  he  be 
patronized  by  Jasmin  and  have  his  purse  filled  by  his 
recitations  when  there  were  so  many  other  churches  to 
be  built  and  repaired,  so  many  hospitals  and  schools  to 
found  and  maintain,  so  many  orphanages  to  assist,  so 
many  poor  to  relieve,  so  many  good  works  to  be  done? 
Why  should  not  Jasmin,  who  could  coin  money  with  words 
which  cost  him  nothing,  come  to  the  help  of  the  needy 
and  afflicted  in  the  various  districts  throughout  the  South  ? 

Thus  Jasmin  was  constantly  assailed  by  deputations. 
He  must  leave  his  razors  and  his  curling-tongs,  and  go 
here,  tliere,  and  everywhere  to  raise  money  by  his  reci- 
tations. 

The  members  of  the  Society  of  Saint  Vincent  de  Paul 
were,  as  usual,  full  of  many  charitable  designs.  There 
had  been  a  fire,  a  flood,  an  epidemic,  a  severe  winter,  a 
failure  of  crops,  which  had  thrown  hundreds  of  families 
into  poverty  and  misery ;  and  Jasmin  must  come  imme- 
diately to  their  succor.  "  Come,  Jasmin  !  Come  quick, 
quick  1"  He  was  always  willing  to  give  his  assistance  ; 
but  it  was  a  terrible  strain  upon  his  mental  as  well  as  his 
physical  powers. 


The  Priest  loithout  a  Church.  185 

In  ail  seasons,  at  all  hours,  in  cold,  in  heat,  in  wind, 
in  rain,  he  hastened  to  give  his  recitations — sometimes 
of  more  than  two  hours'  duration,  and  often  twice  or 
thrice  in  the  same  day.  He  hastened,  for  fear  lest  the 
poor  should  receive  their  food  and  firini^  too  late. 

What  a  picture!  Had  Jasmin  lived  in  the  time  of 
Saint  Vincent  de  Paul  the  saint  would  have  embraced  him 
a  thousand  times,  and  rejoiced  to  see  himself  in  one  way 
surpassed ;  for  in  pleading  for  the  poor  he  also  lielped 
the  rich  by  celebrating  the  great  deeds  of  their  ancestors, 
as  he  did  at  Beziers,  Riquct,  Albi,  Lafeyrouse,  and  other 
places.  The  spectacle  which  he  presented  was  so  extraor- 
dinary that  all  France  was  struck  with  admiration  at  the 
qualities  of  this  noble  barber  of  Agen. 

On  one  occasion  Jasmin  was  requested  by  a  curate  to 
come  to  his  help  and  reconcile  him  with  his  parishioners. 
Jasmin  succeeded  in  performing  the  miracle.  It  hap- 
pened that  in  1846  the  curate  of  Saint-Leger,  near  Penne, 
in  the  Tarn,  had  caused  a  ball-room  to  be  closed.  This 
gave  great  offence  to  the  young  people,  who  desired  the 
ball-room  to  be  opened  that  they  might  have  their  fill  of 
dancing.  They  left  his  church,  and  declared  that  they 
would  have  nothing  further  to  do  with  him.  To  recon- 
cile the  malcontents  the  curate  promised  to  let  them  hear 
Jasmin.  Accordingly,  one  Sunday  afternoon  the  inhabit- 
ants of  four  parishes  assembled  in  a  beautiful  wood  to 
listen  to  Jasmin.  He  recited  his  "Charity"  and  some 
other  of  his  serious  poems.  When  he  had  finished,  the 
voung  people  of  Saint-L6ger  embraced  first  the  poet  and 
then  the  curate.     The  reconciliation  was  complete. 

To  return  to  the  church  at  Vergt.  Jasmin  was  a 
poet,  not  an  architect.  The  Abb6  Masson  knew  nothing 
about  stone  or  mortar.  He  was  merely  anxious  to  have 
his  church  rebuilt  and  consecrated  as  soon  as  possible. 


186  Jasmin. 

That  had  been  done  in  1843.  But  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years  it  was  found  that  the  church  had  been  very  badly 
built.  The  lime  was  bad,  and  the  carpentry  was  bad. 
The  consequence  was  that  the  main  walls  of  the  church 
bulged  out,  and  the  shoddy  building  had  to  be  supported 
by  outside  abutments.  In  course  of  time  it  became  clear 
that  the  work,  for  the  most  part,  had  to  be  done  over 
again. 

In  1847  the  abbe  again  appealed  to  Jasmin.  This 
new  task  was  more  difficult  than  the  first,  for  it  was 
necessary  to  appeal  to  a  larger  circle  of  contributors  ; 
not  confining  themselves  to  Perigord  only,  but  taking 
a  wider  range  throughout  the  South  of  France.  The 
priest  made  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the  joint 
tour.  They  would  first  take  the  northern  districts — 
Angouleme,  Limoges,  Tulle,  and  Brives — and  then  pro- 
ceed towards  the  south. 

The  pair  started  at  the  beginning  of  May,  and  began 
their  usual  recitations  and  addresses,  such  as  had  been 
given  during  the  first  journey  in  Perigord.  They  were 
received  with  the  usual  enthusiasm.  Prefects,  bishops, 
and  municipal  bodies  vied  with  each  other  in  receiving 
and  entertaining  them.  At  Angouleme,  the  queen  of 
southern  cities.  Jasmin  was  presented  with  a  crown  of 
immortelles  and  a  snuffbox,  on  which  was  engraved : 
"Esteem — Love — Admiration!  To  Jasmin,  the  most 
sublime  of  poets  !  From  the  youth  of  Angouleme,  who 
have  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  and  hearing  him  !" 

The  poet  and  priest  travelled  by  night  as  well  as  by 
day  in  order  to  economize  time.  After  their  tour  in  the 
northern  towns  and  cities  they  returned  to  Vergt  for 
rest.  They  entered  the  town  under  a  triumphal  arch, 
and  were  escorted  by  a  numerous  cavalcade.  Before 
they  retired  to  the  priest's  house  the  leading  men  of  the 


l^he  Priest  without  a  Church.  187 

commune,  in  the  name  of  the  citizens,  complimented  Jas- 
min for  his  cordial  help  towards  the  rebuildinir  of  the 
church. 

After  two  days  of  needful  rest  Jasmin  set  out  for  Bor- 
deaux, the  city  whose  inhabitants  had  first  encouraged 
him  by  their  applause,  and  for  which  he  continued  to  en- 
tertain a  cordial  feeling  to  the  last  days  of  his  life.  His 
mission  on  this  occasion  was  to  assist  in  the  inauguration 
of  a  creche,  founded  and  supported  by  the  charitable 
contributions  of  the  friends  of  poor  children.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  mention  the  enthusiasm  with  which  he  was 
received. 

The  farther  progress  of  the  poet  and  the  priest,  in 
search  of  contributions  for  rebuilding  the  church,  was 
rudely  interrupted  by  the  revolution  which  broke  out  at 
Paris,  in  1848.  His  Majesty  Louis  Philippe  abdicated 
the  throne  of  France  on  February  24th  rather  than  come 
into  armed  collision  with  his  subjects,  and  two  days  after 
the  Republic  was  officially  proclaimed  at  the  Hotel  dc 
Ville.  Louis  Philippe  and  his  family  took  refuge  in 
England — the  usual  retreat  of  persecuted  Frenchmen  ;  and 
nine  months  later  Louis  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  who  had 
also  been  a  refugee  in  England,  returned  to  France,  and 
on  December  20th  was  proclaimed  President  of  the  French 
Republic. 

Jasmin  and  Masson  accordingly  suspended  their  tour. 
No  one  would  listen  to  poetical  recitations  in  the  midst  of 
political  revolutions.  Freedom  and  tranquillity  were  nec- 
essary for  the  contemplation  of  ideas  very  different  from 
local  and  national  squabbles.  The  poet  and  priest  ac- 
cordingly bade  adieu  to  each  other;  and  it  was  not  until 
two  years  later  that  they  were  able  to  recommence  their 
united  journeys  through  the  South  of  France. 

The  proclamation  of  the  Republic  and  the  forthcom- 


188  Jasmin. 

ing  elections  brought  many  new  men  to  the  front.  Even 
poets  made  their  appearance.  Lamartine,  who  had  been 
a  deputy,  was  a  leader  in  the  revolution,  and  for  a  time 
was  minister  for  foreign  affairs.  Victor  Hugo,  a  still 
greater  poet,  took  a  special  interest  in  the  politics  of  the 
time,  though  he  was  fined  and  imprisoned  for  condemn- 
ing capital  punishment.  Even  Reboul,  the  poet-baker  of 
Niraes,  deserted  his  muse  and  his  kneading-trough  to 
solicit  the  suffrages  of  his  fellow-citizens.  Jasmin  was 
wiser.  He  was  more  popular  in  his  neighborhood  than 
Reboul,  though  he  cared  little  about  politics.  He  would 
neither  be  a  deputy,  nor  a  municipal  councillor,  nor  an 
agent  for  elections.  He  preferred  to  influence  his  coun- 
try by  spreading  the  seeds  of  domestic  and  social  virtues  ; 
and  he  was  satisfied  with  his  position  in  Agen  as  poet 
and  hair-dresser. 

Nevertheless,  a  deputation  of  his  townsmen  waited  upon 
Jasmin  to  request  him  to  allow  his  name  to  appear  as  a 
candidate  for  their  suffrages.  The  delegates  did  not  find 
him  at  his  shop.  He  was  at  his  vineyard  ;  and  there  the 
deputation  found  him  tranquilly  seated  under  a  cherry- 
tree  shelling  pease  !  He  listened  to  them  with  his  usual 
courtesy,  and  when  one  of  the  committee  pressed,  him 
for  an  answer,  and  wished  to  know  if  he  was  not  a 
good  Republican,  he  said,  "Really,  I  care  nothing  for  the 
Republic.  I  am  one  of  those  who  would  have  saved 
the  constitutional  monarchy  by  enabling  it  to  carry  out 
further  reforms.  .  .  .  But,"  he  continued,  "  look  to  the 
past;  was  it  not  a  loss  to  destroy  the  constitutional  mon- 
archy ?  But  now  we  must  march  forward,  that  we  may 
all  be  united  again  under  the  same  flag.  The  welfare  of 
France  should  reign  in  all  our  thoughts  and  evoke  our 
most  ardent  sympathy.  Choose  among  our  citizens  a 
strong  and  wise  man.  .  .  .  Tf  the  Republic  is  to  live  in 


Tfie  Priest  without  a  Church.  189 

France,  it  must  be  great,  strong,  and  good  for  all  classes  of 
the  people.  Maintaining  the  predominance  of  the  law 
will  be  its  security  ;  and  in  preserving  law  it  will 
strengthen  our  liberties." 

In  conclusion,  Jasmin  cordially  thanked  his  fellow-citi- 
zens for  the  honor  they  proposed  to  confer  upon  him,  al- 
though he  could  not  accept  it.  The  affairs  of  the  State, 
he  said,  were  in  a  very  confused  condition,  and  he  could 
not  protend  to  unravel  them.  He  then  took  leave  of  the 
deputation,  and  quietly  proceeded  to  complete  his  task — 
the  shelling  of  his  pease ! 


190  Jasmin, 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  CHURCH  OF  VERGT  AGAIN.— FRENCH  ACADEMY.— 
EMPEROR  AND  EMPRESS. 

When  the  political  turmoils  in  France  had  for  a  time 
subsided,  Jasmin  and  the  Abbe  Masson  recommenced 
their  journeys  in  the  South  for  the  collection  of  funds 
for  the  church  at  Vergt.  They  had  already  made  two 
pilgrimages — the  first  through  Perigord,  the  second  to 
Angouleme,  Limoges,  Tulle,  and  Brives.  The  third 
was  begun  early  in  1850,  and  included  the  department 
of  the  Landes,  the  higher  and  lower  Pyrenees,  and  other 
districts  in  the  South  of  France. 

At  Bagneres  de  Bigorre  and  at  Bagneres  de  Luchon 
the  receipts  were  divided  between  the  church  at  Vergt 
and  that  at  Luchon.  The  public  hospitals  and  the 
benevolent  societies  frequently  shared  in  the  receipts. 
There  seemed  to  be  no  limits  to  the  poet's  zeal  in  labor- 
ing for  those  who  were  in  want  of  funds.  Independent 
of  his  recitations  for  the  benefit  of  the  church  at  Vergt, 
he  often  turned  aside  to  one  place  or  another  where 
the  poor  were  in  the  greatest  need  of  assistance. 

On  one  occasion  he  went  to  Arcachon.  He  started 
early  in  the  morning  by  the  steamer  from  Agen  to  Bor- 
deaux, intending  to  proceed  by  railway  (a  five  hour's 
journey)  from  Bordeaux  to  Arcachon.  But  the  steamers 
on  the  Garonne  were  then  very  irregular,  and  Jasmin  did 
not  reach   Bordeaux  until  six  hours  later  than  the  ap- 


The  Church  ofVergt  again.  191 

poitited  time.  In  the  mean  while  a  laro^e  assembly  had 
met  iu  the  largest  room  in  Arcachon.  They  waited  and 
waited  ;  but  no  Jasmin  1  The  Abbe  Masson  became  em- 
barrassed; but  at  length  he  gave  his  address,  and  the 
receipts  were  800  francs.  The  meeting  dispersed,  very 
much  disappointed  because  no  Jasmin  had  appeared,  and 
they  missed  his  recitations.  At  midnight  the  cure  re- 
turned to  Bordeaux,  and  there  he  found  Jasmin,  just 
arrived  from  Agen  by  the  boat,  which  had  been  six 
hours  late.  He  was  in  great  dismay ;  but  he  afterwards 
made  up  for  the  disappointment  by  reciting  to  the  peo- 
ple of  Arcachon. 

The  same  thing  Iiappened  at  Biarritz.  A  large  assem- 
bly had  met,  and  everything  was  ready  for  Jasmin.  But 
there  was  no  Jasmin !  The  omnibus  from  Bayonne  did 
not  bring  him.  It  turned  out  that  at  the  moment  of 
setting  out  he  was  seized  with  a  sudden  loss  of  voice. 
As  in  the  case  of  Arcachon,  the  cure  had  to  do  without 
him.  The  result  of  his  address  was  a  collection  of  700 
francs. 

The  Abbe  Masson  was  a  liberal-minded  man.  When 
Jasmin  urged  him  to  help  others  more  needy  than  him- 
self, he  was  always  ready  to  comply  with  his  request. 
When  at  Narbonne,  in  the  department  of  Aude,  a  poor 
troupe  of  comedians  found  themselves  in  difficulties.  It 
was  winter- time,  and  the  weather  was  very  cold.  The 
public  could  not  bear  their  canvas-covered  shed,  and  de- 
serted the  entertainment.  Meanwhile  the  artistes  were 
famished.  Knowing  the  generosity  of  Jasmin,  they  asked 
him  to  recite  at  one  of  their  representations.  He  com- 
plied with  their  request;  the  place  was  crowded;  and 
Jasmin's  recitations  were  received  with  the  usual  enthu- 
siasm. It  had  been  arranged  that  half  the  proceeds 
should  go  to  the  church  at  Vergt  and  the  other  half  to 


192  Jasmin, 

the  comedians.  But  when  the  entire  troupe  presented 
themselves  to  the  abbe  and  offered  him  the  full  half,  he 
said:  "No!  no!  keep  it  all.  You  want  it  more  than 
I  do.  Besides,  I  can  always  fall  back  upon  my  dear 
poet !" 

A  fourth  pilgrimage  of  the  priest  and  poet  was  after- 
wards made  to  the  towns  of  Rodez,  Villefranche-d'Avey- 
ron,  Cahors,  Figeac,  Gourdon,  and  Sarlat;  and  the  pro- 
ceeds of  these  excursions,  added  to  a  subvention  of  5000 
francs  from  the  Government,  enabled  the  church  of  Vergt 
to  be  completed.  In  1852  the  steeple  was  built,  and 
appropriately  named  "Jasmin's  Bell-tower"  {Clocher  Jas- 
min). But  it  was  still  without  bells,  for  which  a  subse- 
quent pilgrimage  was  made  by  Jasmin  and  Masson. 

To  return  to  the  honors  paid  to  Jasmin  for  his  works 
of  benevolence  and  charity.  What  was  worth  more  to 
him  than  the  numerous  golden  laurels  which  had  been 
bestowed  upon  him  was  his  recognition  by  the  highest 
and  noblest  of  institutions,  the  Academy  of  France.  Al- 
though one  of  the  objects  of  its  members  was  to  pre- 
serve the  French  language  in  its  highest  purity,  they 
were  found  ready  to  crown  a  poet  who  wrote  his  poems 
in  the  patois  of  the  South. 

There  were,  however,  several  adverse  criticisms  on  the 
proposed  decision  of  the  Academy ;  though  poetry  may 
be  written  in  every  tongue,  and  is  quite  independent  of 
the  language  or  patois  in  which  it  is  conveyed.  Indeed, 
several  members  of  the  Academy — such  as  MM.  Thiers, 
De  Remusat,  Viennet,  and  Flourens  —  came  from  the 
meridional  districts  of  France,  and  thoroughly  under- 
stood the  language  of  Jasmin.  They  saw  in  him  two 
men — the  poet  and  the  benefactor  of  humanity. 

This  consideration  completely  overruled  the  criticisms 
of  the  minority.     Jasmin  had  once  before  appeared  at 


The  French  Academy.  193 

M.  Thierry's  before  the  best  men  of  the  Academy ;  and 
now  the  whole  of  the  Academy,  notwithstanding  his 
patois,  approached  and  honored  the  man  of  good  deeds. 

Jasmin  owed  to  M.  Villeraain  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
panegyrics  which  he  Iiad  ever  received.  The  Academy 
desired  to  award  a  special  prize  in  accordance  with  the 
testamentary  bequest  of  M.  de  Montyon  * — his  last  debt 
to  art  and  morality  ;  a  talent  that  employs  itself  in  doing 
good  under  a  form  the  most  brilliant  and  popular.  This 
talent,  he  continued,  is  that  of  the  true  poet;  and  Jas- 
min, during  his  pure  and  modest  life,  had  employed  his 
art  for  the  benefit  of  morality  with  a  noble,  lielpful  influ- 
ence, while  nothing  detracted  from  the  dignity  of  his 
name. 

Like  the  Scottish  poet  Burns,  Jasmin  had  by  his  dialect 
and  his  poetical  talents  enriched  the  literature  of  his 
country.  Jasmin,  the  hair-dresser  of  Agen,  the  poet  of  the 
South,  who  drew  crowds  to  hear  the  sound  of  his  voice — 
who  even  embellished  the  festivals  of  the  rich,  but  wlio 
still  more  assisted  in  the  pleasures  of  the  poor — who 
spent  his  time  in  endowing  charitable  establishments — 
who  helped  to  build  churches,  schools,  and  orphanages — 
Jasmin,  the  glory  of  his  commune  as  well  as  of  the  South 
of  France,  deserved  to  be  adopted  by  all  France  and 
publicly  acknowledged  by  the  Academy. 

Tacitus  had  said  that  renown  is  not  always  deserved; 
it  chooses  its  due  time — "iVb»  semper  erratfama^  aliquan- 
do  eligii^''  (Fame  is  not  always  mistaken  ;  she  sometimes 

♦  The  Baron  de  Montyon  bequeathed  a  large  sura  to  the  Acad6- 
mie  Fran9aise,  the  Acad6raie  dcs  Science?,  and  the  Facuit6  de 
Mddecine,  for  the  purpose  of  being  awarded  in  prizes  to  men  of 
invention  and  discovery,  or  for  any  literary  work  likely  to  be  use- 
ful to  society,  and  to  rewarding  acts  of  virtue  among  the  poor. 
Jasmin  was  certainly  entitled  to  a  share  in  this  benevolent  fund. 


194  Jasmin. 

chooses  the  right).  We  have  proof  of  it  to-day.  The 
enthusiastic  approbation  of  the  great  provinces  of  France 
for  a  popular  poet  cannot  be  a  surprise.  They  single  out 
the  last,  and,  I  may  add,  the  greatest  poet  of  the  Trou- 
badours ! 

M.  Villemain  proceeded  to  comment  upon  the  poet- 
ical works  of  Jasmin  —  especially  his  "Blind  Girl  of 
Castel-Cuille,"  his  "  Franconnette,"  and  the  noble  works 
he  had  done  for  the  poor  and  the  suffering;  his  self- 
sacrificing  labors  for  the  building  of  schools,  orphanages, 
and  churches.  "Everywhere,"  he  said,  "his  elevated  and 
generous  sou'l  has  labored  for  the  benefit  of  the  world 
about  him ;  and  now  he  would,  by  the  aid  of  the  Acade- 
my, embellish  his  coronet  with  a  privileged  donation  to 
the  poet  and  philanthropist."  He  concluded  by  saying 
that  the  especial  prize  for  literary  morality  and  virtuous 
actions  would  be  awarded  to  him,  and  that  a  gold  medal 
would  be  struck  in  his  honor  with  the  inscription :  ^^Au 
Jasmin  Poete  moral  et  populaire  P''  • 

M.  Ancelo  communicated  to  Jasmin  tlie  decision  of 
the  Academy.  "  I  have  great  pleasure,"  he  said,  "  in 
transmitting  to  you  the  genuine  sympathy,  the  sincere 
admiration,  and  the  unanimous  esteem  which  your  name 
and  your  works  have  evoked  at  this  meeting  of  the  Acad- 
emy. The  legitimate  applause  which  you  everywhere 
receive  in  your  beautiful  country  finds  its  echo  on  this 
side  of  the  Loire ;  and  if  the  spontaneous  adoption  of 
you  by  the  French  Academy  adds  nothing  to  your  glory, 
it  will  at  least  serve  to  enhance  our  own." 

The  prize  unanimously  awarded  to  Jasmin  on  August 
19,  1852,  was  3000  francs,  which  was  made  up  to  5000 
by  the  number  of  copies  of  the  Paj9«7/6^os  purchased  by 
the  Academy  for  distribution  among  the  members.  Jas- 
min devoted  part  of  the  money  to  repairing  his  little 


The  French  Academy,  195 

house  on  the  Gravier,  and  the  rest  was  ready  for  his  fut- 
ure charitable  missions. 

On  receiving  the  intimation  of  the  prizes  awarded  to 
him  he  made  another  journey  to  Paris  to  pay  his  respects 
to  his  devoted  friends  of  the  Academy.  He  was  received 
with  welcome  by  the  most  eminent  persons  in  the  me- 
tropolis. He  was  feted  as  usual.  At  the  salon  of  the  Mar- 
quis de  Barthelemy  he  met  the  Due  de  Levis,  the  Due  des 
Cars,  MM.  Berry er,  de  Salvandy,  de  Vatismenil,  Hyde  de 
Neuville,  and  other  distinguished  noblemen  and  gentlemen. 

Monsigneur  Sibour,  Archbishop  of  Paris,  was  desirous 
of  seeing  and  hearing  this  remarkable  poet  of  the  South. 
The  archbishop  invited  him  to  his  palace  for  the  purpose 
of  hearing  a  recitation  of  his  poems ;  and  there  he  met 
the  pope's  nuncio,  several  bishops,  and  the  principal 
members  of  the  Parisian  clergy.  After  the  recitation 
the  archbishop  presented  Jasmin  with  a  golden  branch 
with  this  device:  "To  Jasmin  !  the  greatest  of  the  Trou- 
badours, past,  present,  or  to  come." 

The  chief  authors  of  Paris,  the  journalists,  and  the 
artists,  had  a  special  meeting  in  honor  of  Jasmin.  A 
banquet  was  organized  by  the  journalists  of  the  Deux 
Mondes,  at  the  instance  of  Meissonier,  Lireux,  Lalandellc, 
C.  Reynaud,  L.  Pichat,  and  others.  M.  Jules  Janin  pre- 
sided, and  complimented  Jasmin  in  the  name  of  the 
Parisian  press.  The  people  of  Agen,  resident  in  Paris, 
also  gave  him  a  banquet,  at  which  Jasmin  recited  a  poem 
composed  for  the  occasion. 

One  of  his  evenings  was  spent  at  the  house  of  Madame 
la  Marquise  de  Barthelemy.  An  interesting  account  of 
the  soir6e  Is  given  by  a  correspondent  of  Chambers* 
Edinburgh  Journal^  who  was  present  on  the  occasion.* 

•  Chambers'  Edinburgh  Jotutial,  July,  1863. 


196  Jasmin. 

The  salous  of  Madame  la  Marquise  were  filled  to  over- 
flowing. Many  of  the  old  nobility  of  France  were  pres- 
ent. "  It  was  a  St.  Germain's  night,"  as  she  herself  ex- 
pressed it.  High-sounding  names  were  there — much  in- 
tellect and  beauty ;  all  were  assembled  to  do  honor  to 
the  coiffeur  from  the  banks  of  the  Garonne.  France 
honors  intellect,  no  matter  to  what  class  of  society  it 
belongs;  it  is  an  affectionate  kind  of  social  democracy. 
Indeed,  among  many  virtues  in  French  society  none  is 
so  delightful,  none  so  cheering,  none  so  mutually  im- 
proving, and  none  more  Christian  than  the  kindly  inter- 
course, almost  the  equality,  of  all  ranks  of  society,  and 
the  comparatively  small  importance  attached  to  wealth  or 
condition  wherever  there  is  intellect  and  power. 

At  half- past  nine  Jasmin  made  his  appearance  —  a 
short,  stout,  dark-haired  man,  with  large  bright  eyes,  and 
a  mobile,  animated  face,  his  button-hole  decorated  with 
the  red  ribbon  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  He  made  his 
way  through  the  richly -attired  ladies,  sparkling  with 
jewels,  to  a  small  table  at  the  upper  end  of  the  salon, 
whereon  were  books,  his  own  Carl-papers,  two  candles,  a 
carafe  of  fresh  water,  and  a  vase  of  flowers. 

The  ladies  arranged  themselves  in  a  series  of  brilliant 
semicircles  before  him.  The  men  blocked  up  the  door- 
way, peering  over  each  other's  shoulders.  Jasmin  waved 
his  hand  like  the  leader  of  an  orchestra,  and  a  general 
silence  sealed  all  the  fresh,  noisy  lips.  One  haughty 
little  brunette,  not  long  emancipated  from  her  convent, 
giggled  audibly  ;  but  Jasmin's  eye  transfixed  her,  and 
the  poor  child  sat  thereafter  rebuked  and  dumb.  The 
hero  of  the  evening  again  waved  his  hands,  tossed  back 
his  hair,  struck  an  attitude,  and  began  his  poem.  The 
first  he  recited  was  "  The  Priest  without  a  Church  "  (Lou, 
Freste  sans  Gleyzo).     He  pleaded  for  the  church  as  if  it 


The  French  Academy,  197 

were  about  to  be  built.  He  clasped  his  hands,  looked  up 
to  heaven,  and  tears  were  in  his  eyes.  Some  sought  for 
the  silver  and  gold  in  their  purses;  but  no  collection  was 
made,  as  the  church  had  already  been  built  and  was  free 
of  debt. 

After  an  interval  he  recited  "La  Semaine  d'un  Fils;" 
and  he  recited  it  very  beautifully.  There  were  some  men 
who  wept;  and  many  women  who  exclaimed,  "Char- 
raant!  Tout-a-fait  charmant !"  but  who  did  not  weep. 
Jasmin  next  recited  "  Ma  Bigno,"  which  has  been  already 
described.  The  contributor  to  Chambers'  Journal  pro- 
ceeds: "It  was  all  very  amusing  to  a  proud,  stiff,  re- 
served Britisher  like  myself  to  sec  how  gray-headed  men 
with  stars  and  ribbons  could  cry  at  Jasmin's  reading; 
and  how  Jasmin,  himself  a  man,  could  sob  and  wipe  his 
eyes,  and  weep  so  violently,  and  display  such  excessive 
emotion.  This  surpassed  my  understanding — probably 
clouded  by  the  chill  atmosphere  of  the  fogs  in  which  ev- 
ery Frenchmen  believes  we  live.  .  .  .  After  the  recitations 
had  concluded  Jasmin's  social  ovation  began.  Ladies 
surrounded  him,  and  men  admired  him.  A  ring  was  pre- 
sented, and  a  pretty  speech  spoken  by  a  pretty  mouth  ac- 
companied the  presentation  ;  and  the  man  of  the  people 
was  flattered  out  of  all  proportion  by  the  brave,  haughty 
old  noblesse. 

"To  do  Jasmin  justice,  although  naturally  enough 
spoiled  by  the  absurd  amount  of  adulation  he  has  met 
with,  he  has  not  been  made  cold-hearted  or  worldly.  He 
is  vain,  but  true  and  loyal  to  his  class.  He  does  not  seek 
to  disguise  or  belie  his  profession.  In  fact,  he  always 
dwells  upon  his  past  more  or  less,  and  never  misses  an 
opportunity  of  reminding  his  audience  that  he  is  but  a 
plebeian,  after  all. 

"  lie  wears  a  white  apron,  and  shaves  and  frizzes  hair 


198  Jasmin. 

to  this  day  when  at  Agen ;  and  though  a  Chevalier  of 
the  Legion  of  Honor,  member  of  Academies  and  Insti- 
tutes without  number,  feted,  praised,  flattered  beyond 
anything  we  can  imagine  in  England,  crowned  by  the 
King  and  the  then  heir  to  the  throne  with  gilt  and  silver 
crowns,  decked  with  flowers  and  oak-leaves,  and  all  con- 
ceivable species  of  coronets,  he  does  not  ape  the  gentle- 
man, but  clips,  curls,  and  chatters  as  simply  as  heretofore, 
and  as  professionally.  There  is  no  little  merit  in  this 
steady  attachment  to  his  native  place,  and  no  little  good 
sense  in  this  adherence  to  his  old  profession.  ...  It  is 
far  manlier  and  nobler  than  that  weak  form  of  vanity 
shown  in  a  slavish  imitation  of  the  great,  and  a  cowardly 
shame  of  one's  native  condition. 

"  Without  going  so  far  as  his  eulogistic  admirers  in  the 
press,  yet  we  honor  in  him  a  true  poet  and  a  true  man, 
brave,  affectionate,  mobile,  loving,  whose  very  faults  are 
all  amiable,  and  whose  vanity  takes  the  form  of  nature. 
And  if  we  of  the  cold  North  can  scarcely  comprehend  the 
childish  passionateness  and  emotional  unreserve  of  the 
more  sensitive  South,  at  least  we  can  profoundly  respect 
the  good  common  to  us  all — the  good  which  lies  under- 
neath that  many-colored  robe  of  manners  which  changes 
with  every  hamlet ;  the  good  which  speaks  from  heart  to 
heart,  and  quickens  the  pulses  of  the  blood ;  the  good 
which  binds  us  all  as  brothers,  and  makes  but  one  family 
of  universal  man  ;  and  this  good  we  lovingly  recognize  in 
Jasmin ;  and  while  rallying  him  for  his  foibles,  respect- 
fully love  him  for  liis  virtues,  and  tender  him  a  hand  of 
sympathy  and  admiration  as  a  fine  poet,  a  good  citizen, 
and  a  true-hearted  man." 

Before  leaving  Paris  it  was  necessary  for  Jasmin  to 
acknowledge  his  gratitude  to  the  French  Academy.  The 
members  had  done  him  much  honor  by  the  gold  medal 


The  French  Academy.  199 

and  the  handsome  donation  they  had  awarded  him.  On 
August  24, 1852,  he  addressed  the  Forty  of  the  Academy 
in  a  poem  which  he  entitled  "Langue  Frangaise,  Langue 
Gasconne,"  or,  as  he  styled  it  in  Gascon,  "  Lengo  Gas- 
couno,  Lengo  Francezo."  In  tliis  poem,  which  was  dec- 
orated with  the  most  fragrant  flowers  of  poetry  with 
which  he  could  clothe  his  words,  Jasmin  endeavored  to 
disclose  the  characteristics  of  the  two  languages.  At  the 
beginning,  he  said:  "O  my  birth-place,  what  a  concert 
delights  my  earl  Nightingales,  sing  aloud;  bees,  hum 
together;  Garonne,  make  music  on  your  pure  and  laugh- 
ing stream ;  the  elms  of  Gravier,  tower  above  me ;  not 
for  glory,  but  for  gladness."  * 

After  the  recitation  of  the  poem  M.  Laurentie  said 
that  it  abounded  in  patriotic  sentiments  and  fine  appre- 
ciation, to  say  nothing  of  the  charming  style  of  the  falling 
strophes,  at  intervals,  in  their  sonorous  and  lyrical  refrain. 
M.  Villemain  added  his  acclamation.  "  In  truth,"  said  he, 
*'  once  more  our  Academy  is  indebted  to  Jasmin  !"  The 
poet,  though  delighted  by  these  ovations,  declared  that  it 
was  he  who  was  indebted  to  the  members  of  the  Academy, 
not  they  to  him.  M.  de  Salvandy  reassured  him  :  "  Do 
not  trouble  yourself.  Jasmin  ;  you  have  accomplished 
everything  we  could  have  wished ;  you  have  given  us  ten 
for  one,  and  still  we  are  your  debtors." 

After  Jasmin  had  paid  his  compliments  to  the  French 
Academy  he  was  about  to  set  out  for  Agen  —  being  fa- 
tigued and  almost  broken  down  by  his  numerous  enter- 

*  The  following  are  the  Gascon  words  of  this  part  of  the  poem : 

"  0  raoun  brfea,  d'un  councfer  festejo  moun  aoureillo  I 
Rouseignol,  canto  fort !  brounzino  fort,  Abeillo ! 
Gardno,  fay  soiina  toiin  flot  rizen  et  pur ; 
De3  ourmcs  del  Grabb  floiireji  la  cabeillo, 
Non  de  Klorio  .  .  .  mais  de  bounlmr !" 


200  Jasmin. 

tainments  in  Paris  —  when  he  was  invited  by  General 
Fleury  to  visit  the  President  of  the  French  Republic  at 
Saint-Cloud.  This  interview  did  not  please  him  so  much 
as  the  gracious  reception  which  he  had  received  in  the 
same  palace  some  years  before  from  Louis  Philippe  and 
the  Duchess  of  Orleans;  yet  Jasmin  was  a  man  who  re- 
spected the  law,  and  as  France  had  elected  Louis  Napo- 
leon as  President  he  was  not  unwilling  to  render  him  his 
homage. 

Jasmin  had  already  seen  the  President  when  passing 
through  Agen  a  few  years  before,  on  his  visit  to  Bordeaux^ 
Toulouse,  and  Toulon ;  but  they  had  no  personal  inter- 
view. M.  Edmond  Texier,  however,  visited  Jasmin,  and 
asked  him  whether  he  had  not  composed  a  hymn  for  the 
fete  of  the  day.  No;  he  had  composed  nothing;  yet  he 
had  voted  for  Louis  Napoleon,  believing  him  to  be  the 
savior  of  France.  "  But,"  said  M.  Texier,  "  if  the  prince 
appeals  to  you,  you  will  eulogize  him  in  a  poem  ?"  "Cer- 
tainly," replied  Jasmin,  "  and  this  is  what  I  would  say : 
'Sir,  in  the  name  of  our  country,  restore  to  us  our  noble 
friend  M.  Baze.  He  was  your  adversary,  but  he  is  now 
conquered,  disarmed,  and  most  unhappy.  Restore  him  to 
his  mother,  now  eighty  years  old  ;  to  his  weeping  family; 
and  to  all  his  household,  who  deplore  his  absence  ;  restore 
him  also  to  our  townsmen,  who  love  and  honor  him,  and 
bear  no  hostility  towards  the  President.  His  recall  will 
be  an  admirable  political  act,  and  will  give  our  country 
more  happiness  than  the  highest  act  of  benevolence.' " 

This  conversation  between  Jasmin  and  Texier  immedi- 
ately appeared  in  the  columns  of  the  Steele,  accompanied 
with  a  stirring  sympathetic  article  by  the  editor.  It  may 
be  mentioned  that  M.  Baze  was  one  of  Jasmin's  best 
friends.  He  had  introduced  the  poet  to  the  public,  and 
written  the  charming  preface  to  the  first  volume  of  the 


Emperor  cmd  Empress.  201 

FapiliotoSy  issued  in  1835.  M.  Baze  was  an  advocate  of 
the  Royal  Court  of  Agen — a  man  of  fine  character  and 
a  true  patriot.  He  was  mayor  of  Agen,  commander 
of  the  National  Guard,  and  afterwards  member  of  the 
Legislative  Assembly  and  the  Senate.  But  he  was  op- 
posed to  Prince  Louis  Napoleon,  and  was  one  of  the 
authors  of  the  motion  entitled  de  Questeurs.  He  was 
arrested  on  tlie  night  of  December  2,  1851,  imprisoned 
for  a  month  in  the  Mazas,  and  then  expelled  from  the 
territory  of  France.  During  his  exile  he  practised  at 
Liege  as  an  advocate. 

Jasmin  again  went  to  Paris  in  May,  1853,  and  this  time 
on  his  mission  of  mercy.  The  editor  of  the  Siecle  an- 
nounced his  arrival.  He  was  again  feted,  and  the  salons 
rejoiced  in  his  recitations.  After  a  few  days  he  was  in- 
vited to  Saint-Cloud.  Louis  Napoleon  was  now  Emperor 
of  France,  and  the  Empress  Eugenie  sat  by  his  side.  The 
appearance  of  Jasmin  was  welcomed,  and  he  was  soon 
made  thoroughly  at  ease  by  the  Emperor's  interesting 
conversation.  A  company  had  been  assembled,  and  Jas- 
min was  requested  to  recite  some  of  his  poems.  As  usual, 
he  evoked  smiles  and  tears  by  turns.  When  the  audience 
were  in  one  of  their  fits  of  weeping,  and  Jasmin  had  fin- 
ished his  declamation,  the  Emperor  exclaimed,  "  Why, 
poet,  this  is  a  genuine  display  of  handkerchiefs"  {Mais, 
poetCj  c'est  un  veritable  scene  de  mouchoirs). 

Jasmin  seized  this  moment  for  revealing  to  the  Em- 
peror the  desire  which  he  had  long  entertained  for  recall- 
ing from  exile  his  dear  friend  M.  Baze.  He  had  prepared 
a  charming  piece  of  verse  addressed  to  the  Empress  Eu- 
genie, requesting  his  return  to  France  through  the  grand 
door  of  honor.  "Restore  him  to  us,"  he  said;  "Agen 
cries  aloud.  The  young  Empress,  as  good  as  beautiful, 
beloved  of  Heaven,  will  pray  with  her  sympathetic  soul, 

9* 


202  Jasmin. 

and  save  two  children  and  an  unhappy  mother — she  wlio 
will  be  soon  blessed  as  a  happy  mother  herself."  *  Jas- 
min concluded  his  poem  with  the  following  words  in 
Gascon:  "Esperi!  Lou  angels  nou  se  troumpon  jamay!" 

The  result  of  this  appeal  to  the  Empress  was  that  Jas- 
min's prayer  was  immediately  granted  by  the  Emperor. 
M.  Baze  returned  to  France  at  once,  without  any  condi- 
tions whatever.  The  parents  of  the  quondam  exile  wrote 
to  Jasmin,  thanking  him  most  cordially  for  his  exertions 
in  their  favor.  Four  days  after  the  soiree  at  Saint-Cloud 
the  Prefect  of  the  Indre-et-Loire,  head  of  the  Baze  family, 
wrote  to  Jasmin,  saying :  "  Your  muse  is  accustomed  to 
triumphs,  but  this  one  ought  to  rejoice  your  heart,  and 
should  yield  you  more  honor  than  all  the  others.  For 
my  part,  I  feel  myself  under  the  necessity  of  thanking 
you  cordially  for  your  beautiful  and  noble  action ;  and  in 
saying  so  I  interpret  the  sentiments  of  the  whole  fami- 
ly." Madame  Baze  addressed  the  Emperor  in  a  letter 
of  grateful  thanks,  which  she  wrote  at  the  dictation  of 
Jasmin.  The  Siecle  also  gave  an  account  of  Jasmin's 
interview  with  the  Emperor  and  Empress  at  Saint-Cloud, 
and  the  Avhole  proceeding  redounded  to  the  honor  of  the 
Gascon  poet. 

Jasmin  had  been  made  Chevalier  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor  at  the  same  time  as  Balzac,  Frederick  Soulie,  and 
Alfred  de  Musset.  The  minister  bore  witness  to  the 
worth  of  Jasmin,  notwithstanding  the  rusticity  of  his  id- 
iom ;  and  he  was  classed  among  the  men  who  did  honor 
to  French  literature.     He  was  considered  great,  not  only 

*  The  editor  of  Vol.  IV.  of  Jasmin's  poems  (1863)  gives  this 
note:  "In  this  circumstance  Jasmin  has  realized  the  foresight 
which  the  ancients  aiforded  to  their  poets,  of  predicting,  two  years 
in  advance,  the  birth  of  the  Prince  Imperial." 


The  Church  of  Vergt  again,  203 

in  his  poems,  but  in  liis  benevolent  works :  *'  You  build 
churches;  you  help  indigence;  you  possess  the  talent  of 
a  powerful  benefactor;  and  your  muse  is  the  sister  of 
Charity." 

When  the  news  of  the  honors  conferred  upon  Jasmin 
reached  Agen  the  people  were  most  sympathetic  in  their 
demonstrations.  The  shop  of  the  barber-poet  was  crowded 
with  visitors,  and  when  he  himself  reached  the  town  he 
was  received  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  The  Philhar- 
monic Society  again  treated  him  to  a  serenade,  and  the 
whole  town  was  full  of  joy  at  the  honor  done  to  their 
beloved  poet. 

To  return  to  the  church  of  Vergt,  which  was  not  yet 
entirely  finished.  A  bell -tower  had  been  erected,  but 
what  was  a  bell-tower  without  bells?  There  was  a  little 
tinkling  affair  which  could  scarcely  be  heard  in  the  church, 
still  less  in  the  neighborhood.  With  his  constant  trust 
in  Providence,  the  abbe  did  not  hesitate  to  buy  a  clock 
and  order  two  large  bells.  The  expense  of  both  amounted 
to  VOOO  francs.  How  was  this  to  be  paid?  His  funds 
were  entirely  exhausted.  The  priest  first  applied  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Vergt,  but  they  could  not  raise  half  the 
necessary  funds.  There  was  Jasmin  !  He  was  the  only 
person  that  could  enable  the  abbe  to  defray  his  debt. 

Accordingly,  another  appeal  was  made  to  the  public 
outside  of  Vergt.  The  poet  and  the  priest  set  out  on 
their  fifth  and  last  pilgrimage;  and  this  time  they  went 
as  far  as  Lyons — a  city  which  Jasmin  had  never  seen 
before.  There  he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  an 
immense  audience,  who  knew  next  to  nothing  of  his  Gas- 
con patois.  He  was  afraid  of  his  success;  but,  unwilling 
to  retreat,  he  resolved,  he  said,  "  to  create  a  squadron  in 
reserve;"  that  is,  after  reciting  some  of  the  old  inspira- 
tions of  his  youth,  to  give  tliem  his  "  H^lene,"  or  "  Love 


204  Jasmin. 

and  Poetry,"  in  modern  classical  French.  The  result,  we 
need  scarcely  say,  was  eminently  successful,  and  the  abbe 
was  doubly  grateful  in  having  added  so  many  more  thou- 
sand francs  to  his  purse. 

During  this  journey  another  priest,  the  Abbe  Cabanel, 
united  his  forces  with  those  of  Jasmin  and  Masson.  This 
abbe  was  curate  of  Port  de  Sainte-Foi-la-Grande.  He 
had  endeavored  to  erect  in  his  parish  a  public  school 
under  the  charge  of  religious  teachers.  He  now  pro- 
posed to  partake  of  the  profits  of  the  recitations  for  the 
purpose  of  helping  his  project ;  and  Jasmin  and  Masson 
willingly  complied  with  his  request.  They  accordingly 
appeared  at  the  town  of  Sainte-Foi,  and  the  result  was 
another  excellent  collection. 

After  visiting  other  towns  sufficient  subscriptions  were 
collected  to  enable  the  abbe  to  pay  off  his  debts.  The 
clock  and  bells  were  christened  by  Monseigneur  de  San- 
galerie,  who  had  himself  been  a  curate  of  the  parish  of 
Vergt;  and  the  bells  were  inscribed  with  the  name  of 
Jasmin,  the  chief  founder  and  rebuilder  of  the  church. 
The  bells  were  the  last  addition  to  Jasmin's  bell-tower, 
but  the  final  result  was  reached  long  after  the  beginning 
of  the  rebuilding  of  the  church. 


Jasmin  Enrolled  Mattre-hs-jeux  at  Toulouse.    205 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

JASMIN  ENROLLED  MAITRE-ES-JEUX  AT  TOULOUSE.- 
CROWNED  BY  AGEN. 

Shortly  after  the  return  of  Jasmin  from  Paris,  where 
he  had  the  honor  of  an  interview  with  the  Emperor  and 
Empress,  as  well  as  with  the  members  of  the  French 
Academy,  he  was  invited  to  Toulouse  for  the  purpose  of 
being  enrolled  as  Maitre-es-jcux  in  the  Academy  of  Jeux 
Floreaux. 

Toulouse  is  known  as  the  City  of  Literary  Fetes,  and 
the  reception  of  Jasmin  as  Maitre-es-jeux  will  long  exist 
as  a  permanent  record  in  her  annals.  The  Academy  of 
Jeux  Floreaux  had  no  prize  of  5000  francs  to  bestow,  nor 
any  crowns,  nor  any  golden  laurels.  She  hides  her  pov- 
erty under  her  flowers,  and  although  she  would  willingly 
have  given  all  her  flowers  to  Jasmin,  yet  her  rules  pre- 
vented her.  She  called  Jasmin  to  her  bosom,  and  gave 
him  the  heartiest  of  welcomes.  But  the  honor  was 
there — the  honor  of  being  invited  to  join  a  brotherhood 
of  illustrious  men. 

The  title  of  Maitre-es-jeux  is  a  rare  distinction,  awarded 
only  to  the  highest  celebrities.  The  ceremony  of  install- 
ing Jasmin  took  place  on  February  6,  1854.  The  great 
Salles  des  Ulustres  was  crowded  long  before  he  made  his 
appearance,  while  the  Place  de  Capitol  was  filled  with  a 
vast  number  of  his  admirers.  The  archbishop,  the  pre- 
fect, the  mayor,  the  magistrates,  and  the  principal  citizens 


206  Jasmin. 

of  Toulouse  were  present,  with  the  most  beautiful  women 
in  the  city.  Many  of  the  Southern  bishops  were  pres- 
ent, having  desired  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  assisting  at 
the  ceremony. 

After  an  address  of  congratulation,  Jasmin  was  enrolled 
among  the  members,  and  presented  with  his  diploma  of 
Maitre-es-jeux.  Though  it  was  only  a  piece  of  parch- 
ment, he  considered  it  the  rarest  of  distinctions.  It  con- 
nected the  poet,  through  five  centuries,  with  the  last  of 
the  Troubadours,  whose  language  he  had  so  splendidly 
revived.  Jasmin  valued  his  bit  of  parchment  more  high- 
ly than  all  the  other  gifts  he  had  received.  In  answer  to 
}jis  enrollment,  he  said  : 

"I  have  now  enough!  I  want  no  morel  All  things 
smile  upon  me.  My  Muse  went  proudly  from  the  Forty 
of  Toulouse  to  the  Forty  of  Paris.  She  is  more  than 
proud  to-day,  she  is  completely  happy ;  for  she  sees  my 
name,  which  Isaure  blessed,  come  from  the  Forty  of  Paris 
to  the  Forty  of  Toulouse." 

After  his  enrollment  the  poet -barber  left  the  salon. 
A  large  crowd  had  assembled  in  the  court,  under  the 
peristyle,  in  the  Place  of  the  Capitol.  Every  head  was 
uncovered  as  he  passed  through  their  ranks,  and  those 
who  accom.panied  liira  to  his  lodging  called  out,  "  Vive 
Jasmin  !  Vive  Jasmin  !"  Never  had  such  a  scene  been 
witnessed  before. 

Although  Jasmin  had  declared  to  the  Academy  of 
Jeux  Floreaux  that  he  wanted  nothing  more  than  the 
diploma  they  had  given  him,  yet  another  triumph  was 
waiting  him.  The  citizens  of  Agen  capped  all  the  pre- 
vious honors  of  the  poet.  They  awarded  him  a  crown 
of  gold,  which  must  have  been  the  greatest  recompense 
of  all.  They  had  known  him  during  almost  his  entire 
life  —  the  son  of  a  hump-backed  tailor  and  a  crippled 


Crowned  by  Agen.  207 

mother,  of  poor  but  honest  people,  whose  means  had 
been  helped  by  the  grandfather,  Boe,  who  begged  from 
door  to  door,  the  old  man  who  closed  his  eyes  in  the 
hospital,  "  where  all  the  Jasmins  die!" 

They  had  known  him  by  his  boyish  tricks,  his  expul- 
sion from  the  academy,  his  setting  up  as  a  barber,  his 
happy  marriage,  and  his  laborious  progress,  until  the 
"shower  of  silver"  came  running  into  his  shop.  "Pan 
de  labouro,  pan  de  salouro"  (no  work,  no  bread).  Though 
born  in  the  lowest  condition  of  life,  he  had,  by  the  help 
of  his  wife,  and  by  his  own  energy  and  perseverance, 
raised  himself  to  the  highest  position  as  a  man  of  char- 
acter. Before  he  reached  the  age  of  thirty*  he  began  to 
show  evidences  of  his  genius  as  a  poet.  But  still  more 
important  were  his  works  of  charity,  which  endeared  him 
to  the  people  through  the  South  of  France.  It  was  right 
and  reasonable  that  his  fellow-citizens  should  desire  to 
take  part  in  the  honors  conferred  upon  their  beloved 
poet,  lie  had  already  experienced  their  profound  sym- 
pathy during  liis  self-sacrificing  work,  but  they  now 
wished  to  testify  their  public  admiration,  and  to  proclaim 
the  fact  by  some  offering  of  intrinsic  value. 

The  Society  of  Saint  Vincent  de  Paul — whom  he  had 
80  often  helped  in  their  charitable  labors — first  started 
the  idea.     They  knew  what  Jasmin  had  done  to  found 

*  There  is  a  Gascon  proverb  which  says : 

"Qu'A  vingt  ans  nouns  po, 
Qu'ft  trent  ans  noun  sa, 
Qu'a  cranio  noun  er, 
Qu'A  cincanto  se  paouso  pa, 
Sabe  pa  que  pot  esper." 

"Who  at  twenty  does  nothhig;  who  at  thirty  knows  nothing; 
who  at  forty  has  nothing ;  who  at  fifty  changes  nothing ;  for  him 
there  is  no  hope." 


208  Jasmin. 

schools,  orphanages,  and  creches.  Indeed,  this  was  their 
own  mission,  and  no  one  had  labored  so  willingly  as  he 
had  done  to  help  them  in  their  noble  work.  The  idea 
thus  started  by  the  society  immediately  attracted  public 
attention,  and  was  received  with  universal  approval. 

A  committee  was  formed,  consisting  of  De  Bouy, 
mayor;  H.  Noubel,  deputy;  Aunac,  banker;  Canon 
Deyche,  arch  -  priest  of  the  cathedral;  Dufort,  imperial 
councillor ;  Guizot,  receiver  -  general ;  Labat,  advocate- 
general  ;  Maysonnade,  president  of  the  conference  of 
Saint  Vincent  de  Paul ;  Couturier,  the  engineer,  and 
other  gentlemen.  A  subscription  was  at  once  opened, 
and  more  than  four  thousand  persons  answered  the  ap- 
peal. 

When  the  subscriptions  were  collected  they  were 
found  so  great  in  amount  that  the  committee  resolved 
to  present  Jasmin  with  a  crown  of  gold.  Five  hundred 
years  before  Petrarch  had  been  crowned  at  Rome  in  the 
name  of  Italy,  and  now  Jasmin  was  to  be  crowned  at 
Agen,  in  the  name  of  Meridional  France.  To  crown  a 
man  who  during  his  lifetime  had  been  engaged  in  the 
trade  of  barber  and  hair-dresser  seemed  something  ex- 
traordinary and  unique.  To  the  cold-blooded  people  of 
the  North  there  might  appear  something  theatrical  in 
such  a  demonstration,  but  it  was  quite  in  keeping  with 
the  warm-hearted  children  of  the  South. 

The  construction  of  the  crown  was  intrusted  to  MM. 
Fannieres,  of  Paris,  the  best  workers  of  gold  in  France. 
They  put  their  best  art  and  skill  into  the  crown.  It  con- 
sisted of  two  branches  of  laurel  in  dead  gold,  large  and 
knotted  behind,  like  the  crowns  of  the  Caesars  and  the 
poets,  with  a  ruby,  artistically  arranged,  containing  the 
simple  device :  "  La  Ville  dfAgen  a  Jasmin.''''  The  pen- 
dants of  the  laurel,  in  dead  silver,  were  mixed  with  the 


Crowned  by  Agen,  209 

foliage.  The  style  of  the  work  was  severe  and  pure,  and 
the  effect  of  the  chef-d'oeuvre  was  admirable. 

The  public  meeting  at  which  the  golden  crown  was 
presented  to  Jasmin  w,as  held  on  November  27,  1856,  in 
the  large  hall  of  the  Great  Seminary.  Gilt  banners  were 
hung  round  the  walls,  containing  the  titles  of  Jasmin's 
principal  poems,  while  the  platform  was  splendidly  dec- 
orated with  emblems  and  festoons  of  flowers.  Although 
the  great  hall  was  of  large  dimensions,  it  could  not  con- 
tain half  the  number  of  people  who  desired  to  be  present 
on  this  grand  occasion. 

An  immense  crowd  assembled  in  the  streets  adjoining 
the  Seminary.  Jasmin,  on  his  arrival,  was  received  with 
a  triple  salvo  of  applause  from  the  crowd  without,  and 
next  from  the  assembly  within.  On  the  platform  were 
the  members  of  the  Subscription  Committee,  the  prefect, 
the  Bishop  of  Agen,  the  chiefs  of  the  local  government, 
the  general  in  command  of  the  district,  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  officers  and  ecclesiastics. 

Jasmin,  when  taking  his  place  on  the  platform,  saluted 
the  audience  with  one  of  his  brilliant  impromptus,  and 
proceeded  to  recite  some  of  his  favorite  poems:  "Char- 
ity;" "The Doctor  of  the  Poor;"  "Town  and  Country;" 
and,  "  The  Week's  Work  of  a  Son."  Then  M.  Noubel, 
in  his  double  capacity  of  deputy  for  the  department  and 
member  of  the  Subscription  Committee,  addressed  Jasmin 
in  the  following  words : 

"Poet,  I  appear  here  in  the  name  of  the  people  of 
Agen  to  offer  you  the  testimony  of  their  admiration  and 
profound  sympathy.  I  ask  you  to  accept  this  crown! 
It  is  given  you  by  a  loving  and  hearty  friend,  in  the 
name  of  your  native  town  of  Agen,  which  your  poetry 
has  charmed,  which  rejoices  in  your  present  success,  and 
is  proud  of  tlie  glory  of  your  genius.     Agen  welcomed 


210  Jasmin. 

the  first  germs  of  your  talent ;  she  has  seen  it  growing, 
and  increasing  your  fame;  she  has  entered  with  you  into 
the  pahices  of  kings;  she  has  associated  herself  with  your 
triumphs  throughout;  now  the  ho^ir  of  recognizing  your 
merits  has  arrived,  and  she  honors  herself  in  crowning 
you. 

"But  it  is  not  merely  the  poet  whom  we  recognize 
to-day ;  you  have  a  much  greater  claim  to  our  homage. 
In  an  age  in  which  egoism  and  the  eager  thirst  for  riches 
prevails,  you  have,  in  the  nohle  work  which  you  have 
performed,  displayed  the  virtues  of  benevolence  and  self- 
sacrifice.  You  yourself  have  put  them  into  practice. 
Ardent  in  the  work  of  charity,  you  have  gone  wherever 
misery  and  poverty  had  to  be  relieved,  and  all  that  you 
yourself  have  received  was  merely  the  blessings  of  the 
unfortunate.  Each  of  your  days  has  been  celebrated  for 
its  good  works,  and  your  whole  life  has  been  a  hymn  to 
benevolence  and  charity. 

"  Accept,  then,  Jasmin,  this  crown  !  Great  poet,  good 
citizen,  you  have  nobly  earned  it !  Give  it  an  honored 
place  in  that  glorious  museum  of  yours,  which  the  towns 
and  cities  of  the  South  have  enriched  by  their  gifts. 
May  it  remain  there  in  testimony  of  your  poetical  tri- 
umphs, and  attest  the  welcome  recognition  of  your  merits 
by  your  fellow-citizens. 

*'  For  myself,  I  cannot  but  be  proud  of  the  mission 
which  has  been  intrusted  to  me.  I  only  owe  it,  I  know, 
to  the  position  of  deputy  in  which  you  have  placed  me 
by  popular  election.  I  am  proud,  nevertheless,  of  having 
the  honor  of  crowning  you,  and  I  shall  ever  regard  this 
event  as  the  most  glorious  recollection  of  my  life." 

After  this  address,  during  which  M.  Noubel  was  greatly 
moved,  he  took  the  crown  of  gold  and  placed  it  on  the 
head  of  the  poet.     It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  en- 


Croioned  by  Age^i.  211 

thusiasm  of  the  meeting  at  this  supreme  moment.  The 
people  were  ahnost  beside  themselves.  Their  exclama- 
tions of  sympathy  and  applause  were  almost  frantic.  Jas- 
min wept  with  happiness.  After  the  emotion  liad  sub- 
sided, with  his  eyes  full  of  tears  he  recited  his  piece  of 
poetry  entitled  :  "  The  Crown  of  my  Birthplace."  * 

In  this  poem  Jasmin  took  occasion  to  recite  the  state 
of  poverty  in  which  he  was  born,  yet  with  the  star  of 
poetry  in  his  breast;  his  dear  mother,  and  her  anxieties 
about  his  education  and  up-bringing;  his  growth;  his 
first  efforts  in  poetical  composition,  and  his  final  tri- 
umph ;  and  at  last  his  crown  of  gold  conferred  upon  him 
by  the  people  of  Agen — the  crown  of  his  birthi)lacc: 

'•  I  feel  that  if  ray  birthplace  crowns  me, 
In  i)laco  of  siuging  ...  I  should  weep!" 

After  Jasmin  had  recited  his  touching  poem,  he  affec- 
tionately took  leave  of  his  friends,  and  the  assembly  dis- 
persed. 

*  Perhaps  this  might  be  better  rendered  "  The  Crown  of  my 
Infancy  "  (in  Gascon,  La  Courouno  del  Bres). 


212  Jasmin, 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

LAST  POEMS. -MORE   MISSIONS  OF   CHARITY. 

This  was  the  last  occasion  on  wLicli  Jasmin  publicly 
appeared  before  his  fellow-townsmen  ;  and  it  conld  not 
perhaps  have  been  more  fitting  and  appropriate.  He 
still  went  on  composing  poetry  —  among  other  pieces 
"La  Vierge,"  dedicated  to  the  Bishop  of  Algiers,  who 
aclcnowledged  it  in  a  complimentary  letter.  In  his  sixty- 
second  year,  when  his  hair  had  become  white,  he  com- 
posed some  "New  Recollections"  (Mous  Nouhels  Souhe- 
nis),  in  which  he  again  recalled  the  memories  of  his 
youth.  In  his  new  "  Souvenirs  "  he  only  gives  a  few  fresh 
stories  relating  to  the  period  of  his  infancy  and  youth. 
Indeed,  they  scarcely  go  beyond  the  period  covered  by 
his  original  "  Souvenirs." 

In  the  midst  of  his  various  honors  at  Paris,  Toulouse, 
and  Agen,  he  did  not  forget  his  true  mission,  the  help 
and  relief  of  the  afflicted.  He  went  to  Albi,  and  gave  a 
recitation  which  produced  2000  francs.  The  whole  of 
this  sum  went  to  the  poor.  There  was  nothing  for  him- 
self but  applause  and  showers  of  flowers  thrown  at  his 
feet  by  the  ladies  present. 

It  was  considered  quite  unprecedented  that  so  large  a 
sum  should  have  been  collected  in  so  poor  a  district. 
Tlie  mayor,  however,  was  prepared  for  the  event.  After 
a  touching  address  to  the  poet,  he  presented  him  with  a 
ring  of  honor,  with  the  arms  of  the  town,  and  the  in- 
scribed words  :    "  Albi  a  Jasmin.'''' 


Last  Poems.  213 

He  went  for  the  same  purpose  to  Castera  in  the  Gers, 
a  decayed  town,  to  recite  liis  poems,  in  the  words  of  the 
cure,  for  "our  poor  church."  He  was  received  as  usual 
witli  great  enthusiasm,  and  a  present  of  silver  was  pre- 
sented to  him  with  the  inscribed  words:  "Jl  Jasmin^ 
V Eglise  du  Castera  reconnaissante T  Jasmin  answered 
by  reciting  an  impromptu  he  had  composed  for  the  oc- 
casion. 

At  Bordeaux,  one  of  his  favorite  cities,  he  was  received 
with  more  than  the  usual  enthusiasm.  There  he  made  a 
collection  in  aid  of  the  Conference  of  Saint  Vincent  de 
Paul.  In  the  midst  of  the  seance  he  appeared  almost 
inspired,  and  recited  "  La  Charite  dans  Bordeaux  " — the 
grand  piece  of  the  evening.  The  assembly  rose  en  masse, 
and  cheered  the  poet  with  frantic  applause.  The  ladies 
threw  an  avalanche  of  bouquets  at  the  hero  of  the  fete. 

After  quiet  had  been  restored,  the  Society  of  Saint 
Vincent  de  Paul  cordially  thanked  Jasmin  through  the 
mouth  of  their  president,  and  presented  him  with  a 
magnificent  golden  circlet,  with  the  inscription:  '*  Za 
Caritat  dins  Bourdeau  .'" 

Among  his  other  recitations  towards  the  close  of  his 
life,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  money  for  the  relief 
of  the  poor,  were  those  at  Montignac  in  Perigord;  at 
Saint-Macaire;  at  Saint- x\ndre-de-Cubzar,  and  at  Mon- 
segur.  Most  of  these  were  remote  villages,  far  apart 
from  each  other.  He  had  disappointed  his  friends  at 
Arcachon  several  years  before,  when  he  failed  to  make 
his  appearance  with  the  Abbe  Masson,  during  their  tour 
on  behalf  of  the  church  of  Vergt,  owing  to  the  unpunct- 
uality  of  the  steamboat;  but  he  promised  to  visit  them 
at  some  future  period. 

He  now  redeemed  bis  promise.  The  poor  were  in 
need,  and  he  went  to  their  help.     A  large  audience  had 


214  Jasmin. 

assembled  to  listen  to  his  recitations,  and  a  considerable 
snrn  of  money  was  collected.  The  audience  overwhelmed 
him  with  praises,  and  the  Mayor  of  Teste — the  head  de- 
partment of  the  district — after  thanking  Jasmin  for  his 
admirable  assistance,  presented  him  with  a  gold  medal, 
on  which  was  inscribed:  ''''Fete  de  Charite  d' Arcachon : 
A  Jasmin.''''  These  laurels  and  medals  had  become  so 
numerous  that  Jasmin  had  almost  become  tired  of  such 
tributes  to  his  benevolence. 

He  went  to  Bareges  again,  where  Monseigneur  the 
Bishop  of  Tarbes  had  appealed  to  him  for  help  in  the 
erection  of  a  hospital.  From  that  town  he  proceeded 
to  Saint-Emilion  and  Castel-Naudary,  to  aid  the  Society 
of  Mutual  Help  in  these  two  towns.  In  fact,  he  was 
never  weary  of  well-doing.  "This  calamitous  winter," 
he  wrote  in  January,  1854,  "requires  all  my  devotion. 
I  will  obey  my  conscience  and  give  myself  to  the  help  of 
the  famished  and  suffering,  even  to  the  extinction  of  my 
personal  health." 

And  so  it  was  to  the  end.  When  his  friends  offered 
him  public  entertainments  he  would  say,  "No,  no!  give 
the  money  to  the  poor!"  What  gave  Jasmin  as  much 
pleasure  as  any  of  the  laurels  and  crowns  conferred  upon 
him  was  a  beautifully-bound  copy  of  the  Imitation  of 
Christ,  with  the  following  inscription:  "A  testimony 
from  the  Bishop  of  Saint-Flour,  in  acknowledgment  of 
the  services  which  the  great  poet  has  rendered  to  the 
poor  of  his  diocese." 

No  poet  had  so  many  opportunities  of  making  money 
and  of  enriching  himself  by  the  contributions  of  the  rich 
as  well  as  the  poor.  But  such  an  idea  never  entered  his 
mind.  He  would  have  regarded  it  as  a  sacrilege  to  evoke 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  people,  and  make  money  for  his 
own  benefit,  or  to  speculate  upon  the  triumphs  of  his 


More  Missions  of  Charity.  215 

muse.  Gold  earned  in  this  way,  he  said,  would  have 
burned  his  fingers.  He  worked  solely  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  could  not  help  themselves.  Ilis  poetry  was 
to  him  like  a  sweet  rose  that  delighted  the  soul  and  pro- 
duced the  fruits  of  charity. 

His  conduct  has  been  called  Quixotic.  Would  that 
there  were  more  Quixotes  in  the  world !  After  his  read- 
ings, which  sometimes  produced  from  two  to  three  thou- 
sand francs,  the  whole  of  the  proceeds  were  handed  over 
to  those  for  whose  benefit  they  had  been  given,  after  de- 
ducting, of  course,  the  expenses  of  travelling,  of  which 
he  kept  a  most  accurate  account. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  amount  of  money  collected  by 
Jasmin  during  his  recitations  for  philanthropic  objects 
amounted  to  at  least  fifteen  hundred  thousand  francs  (equal 
to  sixty-two  thousand  five  hundred  pounds).  Besides, 
there  were  the  labor  of  his  journeys  and  the  amount  of 
his  correspondence,  which  were  almost  heroic.  M.  Ra- 
bain*  states  that  from  1825  to  1860  the  number  of  let- 
ters received  by  Jasmin  was  more  than  twelve  thousand. 

Mr.  Dickens,  in  giving  the  readings  from  his  works  in 
Great  Britain,  netted  over  thirty-five  thousand  pounds, 
besides  what  he  received  for  his  readings  in  America. 
This,  of  course,  led  quite  reasonably  to  the  enhancing  of 
his  fortune.  But  all  that  Jasmin  received  from  his  read- 
ings was  given  away — some  say  "  thrown  away  " — to  the 
poor  and  the  needy.  It  is  not  necessary  to  comment  on 
such  facts ;  one  can  only  mention  and  admire  them. 

The  editor  of  Le  Pays  says:  "The  journeys  of  Jas- 
min in  the  South  were  like  a  triumphal  march.  No 
prince  ever  received  more  brilliant  ovations.  Flowers 
were  strewn  in  his  way ;  the  bells  rang  out  on  his  ap- 

*  Jatmiriy  sa  Vie  d  sea  (Euvres.     Paris,  1867. 


216  Jasmin, 

pearance;  the  houses  were  illuminated;  the  mayors  ad- 
dressed him  in  words  of  praise;  the  magistrates,  the 
clergy,  followed  him  in  procession.  Bestowed  upon  a 
man,  and  a  poet,  such  honors  might  seem  exaggerated ; 
but  Jasmin,  under  the  circumstances,  represented  more 
than  poetry  :  he  represented  Charity.  Each  of  his  verses 
transformed  him  into  an  alms-giver;  and  from  the  har- 
vest of  gold  which  he  reaped  from  the  people  he  pre- 
served for  himself  only  the  flowers.  His  epics  were  for 
the  unfortunate.  This  was  very  noble;  and  the  people 
of  Agen  should  be  proud  of  their  poet."* 

The  account  which  Jasmin  records  of  his  expenses 
during  a  journey  of  fifty  days,  in  which  he  collected 
more  than  twenty  thousand  francs,  is  very  remarkable. 
It  is  given  in  the  fourth  volume  of  Les  Papillotes,  pub- 
lished in  1863,  the  year  before  liis  death,  and  is  entitled, 
"  Note  of  my  expenses  of  the  journey,  which  I  have  de- 
ducted from  the  receipts  during  my  circuit  of  fifty  days." 

On  certain  occasions  nothing  whatever  was  charged, 
but  a  carriage  was  probably  placed  at  his  disposal,  or  the 
ticket  for  a  railway  or  a  diligence  may  have  been  paid 
for  by  his  friends.  On  many  occasions  he  walked  the 
distance  between  the  several  places,  and  thus  saved  the 
cost  of  his  conveyance.  But  every  item  of  expense  was 
sot  forth  in  his  *'Note"  with  the  most  scrupulous  exact- 
ness. 

Here  is  the  translation  of  Jasmin's  record  for  his  jour- 
neys during  these  fifty  days:  ".  .  .  At  Foix,  from  M.  De 
Groussou,  President  of  the  Communion  of  Bienfaisance, 
33  fr.  50  c.  At  Pamiers,  nil.  At  Saint -Girons,  from 
the  President  of  the  Society  of  St.-Vincent  de  Paul,  16 
fr.     At  Lavaur,  from   M.  the  Mayor,  22  fr.     At  Saint- 

*  Le  Pai/x,  February  14,  l&o4. 


More  Missions  of  Charity,  217 

Siilpice,  nil.  At  Toulouse,  where  I  gave  five  special  se- 
ances, of  which  tlic  two  first,  to  Saiut-Vincent  de  Paul 
and  the  Prefecture,  produced  more  than  sixteen  hundred 
francs,  nil.  My  muse  was  sufficiently  accounted  for;  it 
was  during  my  reception  as  Maitre-es-jeux.  At  Rodez, 
from  the  President  of  the  Conference  of  Saint- Vincent  de 
Paul,  29  fr.  50  c.  At  Saint-Geniez,  nil.  At  Saint-Flour, 
from  M.  Simon,  vicar-general,  22  fr.  50  c.  At  Murat, 
nil.  At  Mauriac,  nil.  At  Aurillac,  from  M.  Geneste, 
mayor,  for  my  return  to  Agen,  24  fr.  Total,  147  fr.  50 
centimes." 

Thus,  more  than  twenty  thousand  francs  were  collect- 
ed for  the  poor.  Jasmin  having  deducted  147  fr.  50  c. 
for  the  cost  of  his  journeys  from  place  to  place.  It 
must  also  be  remembered  that  he  travelled  mostly  in 
winter,  when  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow.  In 
February,  1854,  M.  Migneret,  Prefect  of  Ilaute-Garonne, 
addressed  a  letter  to  Jasmin,  which  is  worthy  of  preser- 
vation. "  It  is  pleasant,"  he  said,  "  after  having  enjoyed 
at  night  the  charms  of  your  poetry,  to  begin  the  next 
day  by  taking  account  of  the  misfortunes  they  relieve. 
I  owe  you  this  double  honor,  and  I  thank  you  with  the 
greatest  gratitude.  ...  As  to  our  admiration  of  your  tal- 
ent, it  yields  to  our  esteem  for  your  noble  heart ;  the 
poet  cannot  be  jealous  of  the  good  citizen."* 

Notwithstanding  the  rigor  of  the  season,  and  the  snow 
and  wind,  the  like  of  which  had  not  been  known  for 
more  than  twenty  years.  Jasmin  was  welcomed  by  an 
immense  audience  at  Rodez.  The  recitation  was  ffiven 
in  the  large  hall  of  the  Palais  de  Justice,  and  never  had 
so  large  a  collection  been  made.  The  young  people  of 
the  town  wished  to  give  Jasmin  a  banquet,  but  he  de- 

♦  L<u  Papillotoa  de  Jasmin,  iv.  66. 
10 


2 1 8  Jasmin. 

clined,  as  he  had  to  hurry  on  to  another  place  for  a  simi- 
lar purpose.  He  left  them,  however,  one  of  his  poems, 
prepared  for  the  occasion. 

He  arrived  at  Saint-Flour  exhausted  by  fatigue.  His 
voice  began  to  fail,  partly  through  the  rigors  of  the  cli- 
mate, yet  he  continued  to  persevere.  The  bishop  enter- 
tained him  in  his  palace,  and  introduced  him  personally 
to  the  audience  before  which  he  was  to  give  his  recita- 
tions. Over  the  entrance  door  was  written  the  inscrip- 
tion, "A  Jasmin,  le  Poete  des  Pauvres,  Saint- Flour  re- 
connaissante  1"  Before  Jasmin  began  to  recite  he  was 
serenaded  by  the  audience.  The  collection  was  greater 
than  had  ever  been  known.  It  was  here  that  the  bishop 
presented  Jasmin  with  that  famous  manual,  The  Imita- 
tion of  Christ,  already  referred  to. 

It  was  the  same  at  Murat,  Mauriac,  and  Aurillac.  The 
recitation  at  Aurillac  was  given  in  the  theatre,  and  the 
receipts  were  1200  francs.  Here,  also,  he  was  serenaded. 
He  departed  from  Aurillac  covered  with  the  poor  peo- 
ple's blessings  and  gratitude. 

At  Toulouse  he  gave  another  entertainment,  at  the  in- 
stance of  the  Conference  of  Saint  Frangois  Xavier.  There 
were  about  three  thousand  persons  present,  mostly  of  the 
working  classes.  The  seance  was  prolonged  almost  to 
midnight.  The  audience,  most  of  whom  liad  to  rise 
early  in  the  morning,  forgot  their  sleep,  and  wished  the 
poet  to  prolong  his  recitations ! 

Although  the  poor  machine  of  Jasmin's  body  was 
often  in  need  of  rest,  he  still  went  about  doing  good. 
He  never  ceased  ministering  to  the  poor  until  he  was  al- 
together unable  to  go  to  their  help.  Even  in  the  dis- 
tressing cold,  rain,  and  wind  of  winter — and  it  was  in 
winter  more  than  in  summer  that  he  travelled,  for  it  was 
then  that  the  poor  were  most  distressed — he  entirely  dis- 


More  Missions  of  Charity.  219 

regarded  his  own  comfort,  and  sometimes  travelled  at 
much  peril ;  yet  he  went  north  and  south,  by  highways 
and  by-ways,  by  rivers  and  railways,  in  any  and  every 
direction,  provided  his  services  could  be  of  use. 

He  sacrificed  himself  always,  and  was  perfectly  regard- 
less of  self,  lie  was  overwhelmed  with  honors  and 
praises.  He  became  weary  of  triumphs  —  of  laurels, 
flowers,  and  medals — he  sometimes  became  weary  of  his 
life ;  yet  he  never  could  refuse  any  pressing  solicitation 
made  to  him  for  a  new  recital  of  his  poems. 

His  trials,  especially  in  winter-time,  were  often  most 
distressing.  He  would  recite  before  a  crowded  audience, 
in  a  heated  room,  and  afterwards  face  the  icy  air  out- 
side, often  without  any  covering  for  his  throat  and  neck. 
Hence  his  repeated  bronchial  attacks,  the  loss  of  his  voice, 
and  other  serious  affections  of  his  lungs. 

The  last  meeting  which  Jasmin  attended  on  behalf  of 
the  poor  was  at  the  end  of  January,  1864,  only  three 
months  before  his  death.  It  was  at  Villeneuve-sur-Lot, 
a  town  several  miles  north  of  Agen.  He  did  not  desire 
to  put  the  people  to  the  expense  of  a  conveyance,  and 
therefore  he  decided  to  walk.  He  was  already  prema- 
turely old  and  stooping. 

The  disease  which  ended  his  life  had  already  made 
considerable  progress.  He  should  have  been  in  bed ; 
nevertheless,  as  the  poor  needed  his  help,  the  brave  old 
man  determined  to  proceed  to  Villeneuve.  He  was  helped 
along  the  road  by  some  of  his  friends ;  and  at  last,  wea- 
ried and  panting,  lie  arrived  at  his  destination.  The 
meeting  was  held  in  the  theatre,  which  was  crowded  to 
suffocation. 

No  sooner  had  Jasmin  reached  the  platform,  amid  the 
usual  triumphant  cheering,  than,  after  taking  a  short 
rest,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  began  the  recitation  of  his 


220  Jasmin, 

poeras.  Never  had  liis  voice  seemed  more  spirited  and 
entrancing.  He  delighted  his  audience,  while  he  pleaded 
most  eloquently  for  the  relief  of  the  poor. 

"  I  see  him  now,"  wrote  one  of  his  friends,  "  from  be- 
hind the  side-scenes  of  the  theatre,  perspiring  profuselv, 
wet  to  the  skin,  with  a  carafe  of  water  to  allay  the  ardent 
thirst  occasioned  by  three  hours  of  splendid  declama- 
tion." 

In  his  then  critical  state  the  three  hours'  declamation 
was  enough  to  kill  him.  At  all  events,  it  was  his  last 
recitation.  It  was  the  song  of  the  dying  swan.  In  the 
midst  of  his  triumphs  he  laid  down  his  life  for  the  poor, 
like  the  soldier  who  dies  with  the  sound  of  victory  in  his 
ears. 


Death  of  Jasmin:  His  Character.  221 


CHAPTER  XX. 
DEATH  OF  JASMIN:   HIS  CHARACTER. 

After  bis  final  recitation  at  Villeneiive,  Jasmin,  sick, 
ill,  and  utterly  exhausted,  reached  Agen  with  difficulty. 
He  could  scarcely  stand.  It  was  not  often  that  travel- 
ling had  so  affected  him  ;  but  Nature  now  cried  out  and 
rebelled.  His  wife  was,  of  course,  greatly  alarmed.  He 
was  at  once  carefully  put  to  bed,  and  there  he  lay  for  fif- 
teen days. 

When  he  was  at  length  able  to  rise  he  was  placed  in 
his  easy -chair,  but  he  was  still  weak,  wearied,  and  ex- 
hausted. Mariette  believed  that  he  would  yet  recover  his 
strength;  but  the  disease  under  which  he  labored  had 
taken  a  strong  hold  of  him,  and  Jasmin  felt  that  he  was 
gradually  approaching  the  close  of  his  life. 

About  this  time  Renan's  Life  of  Jesus  was  published. 
Jasmin  was  inexpressibly  shocked  by  the  appearance  of 
the  book,  for  it  seemed  to  him  to  strike  at  the  founda- 
tions of  Christianity,  and  to  be  entirely  opposed  to  the 
teachings  of  the  Church.  He  immediately  began  to  com- 
pose a  poem,  entitled  "  The  Poet  of  the  People  to  M. 
Rcnan,"*  in  which  he  vindicated  the  Catholic  faith,  and 
denounced  the  poisonous  mischief  contained  in  the  new 
attack  upon  Christianity.  The  poem  was  full  of  poetic 
feeling,  with  many  pathetic  touches  illustrative  of  the  life 
and  trials  of  man  while  here  below. 

•  "Lou  Poeto  del  Puple  k  Moussu  Reiian." 


222  Jasmin. 

The  composition  of  this  poem  occupied  him  for  some 
time.  Although  broken  by  grief  and  pain,  he  made  every 
haste  to  correct  the  proofs,  feeling  that  it  would  proba- 
bly be  the  last  work  that  he  should  give  to  the  world. 
And  it  was  his  last.  It  was  finished  and  printed  on  Au- 
gust 24, 1864.  He  sent  several  copies  to  his  more  inti- 
mate friends  with  a  dedication  ;  and  then  he  took  finally 
to  his  bed,  never  to  rise  again.  "  I  am  happy,"  he  said, 
*'  to  have  terminated  my  career  by  an  act  of  faith,  and  to 
have  consecrated  my  last  work  to  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ."     He  felt  that  it  was  his  passport  to  eternity. 

Jasmin's  life  was  fast  drawing  to  a  close.  He  knew 
that  he  must  soon  die ;  yet  never  a  word  of  fear  escaped 
his  lips;  nor  was  his  serenity  of  mind  disturbed.  He 
made  his  preparations  for  departure  with  as  much  tran- 
quillity and  happiness  as  on  the  days  when  he  was  about 
to  start  on  one  of  his  philanthropic  missions. 

He  desired  that  M.  Saint-Hilaire,  the  vicar  of  the  par- 
ish, should  be  sent  for.  The  priest  was  at  once  by  the 
bedside  of  his  dying  friend.  Jasmin  made  his  replies  to 
him  in  a  clear  and  calm  voice.  His  wife,  his  son,  his 
grandchildren,  were  present  when  he  received  the  Viati- 
cum— the  last  sacrament  of  the  Church.  After  the  cere- 
mony he  turned  to  his  wife  and  family,  and  said,  "  In 
my  last  communion  I  have  prayed  to  God  that  He  may 
keep  you  all  in  the  most  affectionate  peace  and  union, 
and  that  He  may  ever  reign  in  the  hearts  of  those  whom 
I  love  so  much  and  am  about  to  leave  behind  me."  Then 
speaking  to  his  wife,  he  said,  "Now,  Mariette  —  now  I 
can  die  peacefully." 

He  continued  to  live  until  the  following  morning.  He 
conversed  occasionally  with  his  wife,  his  son,  and  a  few 
attached  friends.  He  talked,  though  with  diflaculty,  of 
the  future  of  the  family,  for  whom  he  had  made  provi- 


Death  of  Jasmin:   His  Character.         223 

sion.  At  last,  liftin<r  himself  up  by  the  aid  of  his  son, 
he  looked  towards  his  wife.  The  brightness  of  love 
fijlowed  in  his  eyes ;  but  in  a  moment  he  fell  back  sense- 
less upon  the  pillow,  and  his  spirit  quietly  passed  away. 

Jasmin  departed  this  life  on  October  5,  1864,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-five.  He  was  not  an  old  man ;  but  the 
brightest  jewels  soonest  wear  their  setting.  When  laid 
in  his  coffin  the  poem  to  Rcnan,  his  last  act  of  faith,  was 
placed  on  his  breast,  with  his  hands  crossed  over  it. 

The  grief  felt  at  his  death  was  wide  and  universal.  In 
the  South  of  France  he  was  lamented  as  a  personal  friend, 
and  he  was  followed  to  the  grave  by  an  immense  num- 
ber of  his  towns-people. 

The  municipal  administration  took  charge  of  the  fu- 
neral. At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  October  8th  the 
procession  started  from  Jasmin's  house  on  the  Prome- 
nade du  Gravier.  On  the  coffin  were  placed  the  Crown 
of  Gold  presented  to  him  by  his  fellow-townsmen,  the 
cross  of  Chevalier  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  and  that  of 
Saint-Gregory  the  Great.  A  company  of  five  men,  and 
a  detachment  of  troops  commanded  by  an  officer,  formed 
the  line. 

The  following  gentlemen  held  the  cords  of  the  funeral 
pall :  M.  Feart,  Prefect  of  the  Lot-et-Garonne ;  M.  Henri 
Noubel,  Deputy  and  Mayor  of  Agen  ;  General  Ressayre, 
Commander  of  the  Military  Division  ;  M.  Bouet,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Imperial  Court;  M.  de  Laffore,  engineer;  and 
M.  Magen,  Secretary  of  the  Society  of  Agriculture,  Sci- 
ences, and  Arts.  A  second  funeral  pall  was  held  by  six 
coiffeurs  of  the  corporation  to  which  Jasmin  had  be- 
longed. Behind  the  hearse  were  the  Brothers  of  the 
Christian  Doctrine,  the  Sisters  of  Saint  Vincent  de  Paul, 
and  the  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor. 

The  mourners  were  lieaded  by  the  poet's  son  and  the 


224  Jasmin. 

other  members  of  his  family.  The  cortege  was  very  nu- 
merous, including  the  elite  of  the  population.  Among 
them  were  the  Procureur-general,  the  Procureur-imperial, 
the  Engineer-in-chief  of  the  Department,  the  Director  of 
Taxes,  many  Councillors-general,  all  the  members  of  the 
Society  of  Agriculture,  many  officers  of  the  army,  many 
ecclesiastics  as  well  as  ministers  of  the  reformed  worship. 
Indeed,  representatives  of  nearly  the  whole  population 
were  present. 

The  procession  first  entered  the  church  of  Saint-Hilaire, 
where  the  clergy  of  the  four  parishes  had  assembled. 
High  mass  was  performed  by  the  full  choir.  The  "  Mise- 
rere" of  Beethoven  was  given,  and  some  exquisite  pieces 
from  Mozart.  Deep  emotion  was  produced  by  the  intro- 
duction, in  the  midst  of  tl|is  beautiful  music,  of  some 
popular  airs  from  the  romance  of  "  Franconnette  "  and 
"  Me  Cal  Mouri,"  Jasmin's  first  work.  The  entire  cere- 
mony was  touching,  and  moved  many  to  tears. 

After  the  services  had  been  finished  the  procession 
moved  off  to  the  cemetery,  passing  through  the  principal 
streets  of  the  town,  which  were  lined  by  crowds  of  mourn- 
ful spectators.  Large  numbers  of  people  had  also  assem- 
bled at  the  cemetery.  After  the  final  prayer  M.  Noubel, 
Deputy  and  Mayor  of  Agen,  took  the  opportunity  of 
pronouncing  an  eulogium  over  the  grave  of  the  deceased. 
His  speech  was  most  sympathetic  and  touching.  We  can 
only  give  a  few  extracts  from  his  address : 

*'  Dear  and  great  poet,"  he  said,  "  at  the  moment  when 
we  commit  to  the  earth  thy  mortal  remains,  I  wish,  in 
the  name  of  this  town  of  Agen,  where  thou  wert  born 
and  which  thou  hast  truly  loved,  to  address  to  thee  a  last, 
a  supreme  adieu.  Alas !  What  would'st  thou  have  said 
to  me  some  years  ago,  when  I  placed  upon  thy  forehead 
the  crown — decreed  bv  the  love  and  admiration  of  thy 


Death  of  Jasmin:  His  Character.         225 

compatriots — that  I  should  so  soon  have  been  called 
upon  to  fulfil  a  duty  that  now  rends  my  heart.  The 
bright  genius  of  thy  countenance,  the  brilliant  vigor  in 
thine  eyes,  which  time,  it  seemed,  would  never  tarnish, 
indicated  the  fertile  source  of  thy  beautiful  verses  and 
noble  aspirations ! 

"And  yet  thy  days  had  been  numbered,  and  you  your- 
self seemed  to  have  cherished  this  presentiment;  but, 
faithful  to  thy  double  mission  of  poet  and  apostle  of 
benevolence,  thou  redoubled  thy  efforts  to  enrich  with 
new  epics  thy  sheaf  of  poetry,  and  by  thy  bountiful  gifts 
and  charity  to  allay  the  sorrows  of  the  poor.  Indefatiga- 
ble worker!  Thou  hast  dispensed  most  unselfishly  thy 
genius  and  thy  powers !  Death  alone  has  been  able  to 
compel  thee  to  repose ! 

"But  now  our  friend  is  departed  forever  !  That  poet- 
ical fire,  that  brilliant  and  vivid  intelligence,  that  ardent 
heart,  have  now  ceased  to  strive  for  the  good  of  all ;  for 
this  great  and  generous  soul  has  ascended  to  Him  who 
gave  it  birth.  It  has  returned  to  the  Giver  of  Good, 
accompanied  by  our  sorrows  and  our  tears.  It  has  as- 
cended to  heaven  with  the  benedictions  of  all  the  dis- 
tressed and  unfortunate  whom  he  has  succored.  It  is 
our  hope  and  consolation  that  he  may  find  the  recom- 
pense assured  for  those  who  have  usefully  and  boldly  ful- 
filled their  duty  here  below. 

"This  duty,  O  poet,  thou  hast  well  fulfilled.  Those 
faculties  which  God  had  so  largely  bestowed  upon  thee 
have  never  been  employed  except  for  the  service  of  just 
and  holy  causes.  Child  of  the  people,  thou  hast  shown 
us  how  mind  and  heart  enlarge  with  work;  that  the  suf- 
ferings and  privations  of  thy  youth  enabled  thee  to  retain 
thy  love  of  the  poor  and  thy  pity  for  the  distressed.  Thy 
muse,  sincerely  Christian,  was  never  used  to  inflame  the 

10* 


226  Jasmin. 

passions,  but  always  to  instruct,  to  soothe,  and  to  console. 
Thy  last  song,  the  *  Song  of  the  Swan,'  was  an  eloquent 
and  impassioned  protest  of  the  Christian,  attacked  in  his 
fervent  belief  and  his  faith. 

"God  has  doubtless  marked  the  term  of  your  mission, 
and  thy  deatli  was  not  a  matter  of  surprise.  Thou  hast 
come  and  gone  without  fear;  and  religion,  thy  supreme 
consoler,  has  calmed  the  suffering  of  thy  later  hours,  as 
it  had  cradled  thee  in  thy  earlier  years. 

"  Thy  body  will  disappear,  but  thy  spirit,  Jasmin,  will 
never  be  far  from  us.  Inspire  us  with  thy  innocent 
gayety  and  brotherly  love.  The  town  of  Agen  is  never 
ungrateful ;  she  counts  thee  among  the  most  pure  and 
illustrious  of  her  citizens.  She  will  consecrate  thy  mem- 
ory in  the  way  most  dignified  to  thee  and  to  herself. 

"The  inhabitants  of  towns  without  number,  where 
thou  hast  exercised  thy  apostolate  of  charity,  will  asso- 
ciate themselves  with  this  work  of  affection  and  remem- 
brance. But  the  most  imperishable  monument  is  that 
which  thou  hast  thyself  founded  with  thine  own  head  and 
hands,  and  which  will  live  in  our  hearts — the  creation  of 
thy  genius  and  the  memory  of  thy  philanthropy." 

After  the  Mayor  of  Agen  had  taken  leave  of  the  mortal 
remains  of  the  poet,  M.  Capot,  President  of  the  Society 
of  Agriculture,  Sciences,  and  Arts,  gave  another  eloquent 
address.  He  was  followed  by  M.  Magen,  secretary  of  the 
same  society.  The  troops  fired  a  salute  over  the  grave, 
and  took  leave  of  the  poet's  remains  with  military  honors. 
The  immense  crowd  of  mourners  then  slowly  departed 
from  the  cemetery. 

Another  public  meeting  took  place  on  May  12,  18V0, 
on  the  inauguration  of  the  bronze  statue  of  Jasmin,  in 
the  Place  Saint  Antoine,  now  called  the  Place  Jasmin. 
The  statue  was  erected  by  public  subscription,  and  ex- 


Death  of  Jcmnin:   His  Character.         227 

edited  by  the  celebrated  M.  Vital  Dabray.  It  stands 
nearly  opposite  the  house  where  Jasmin  lived  and  carried 
on  his  trade.  Many  of  his  old  friends  came  from  a  con- 
siderable distance  to  be  present  at  the  inauguration  of  the 
statue.  The  Abbe  Masson,  of  Veri^t,  was  there,  whose 
church  Jasmin  had  helped  to  re-build.  M.  TAbbe  Donis, 
curate  of  Saint-Louis  at  Bordeaux,  whom  he  had  often 
helped  with  his  recitations;  the  able  philologist  Azais; 
the  young  and  illustrious  ProvenQal  poet  Mistral ;  and 
many  representatives  of  the  Parisian  and  Southern  press 
were  present  on  the  occasion.  The  widow  and  son  of 
the  poet,  surrounded  by  their  family,  were  on  the  plat- 
form. When  the  statue  was  unveiled  a  salvo  of  artil- 
lery was  fired ;  then  the  choir  of  the  Brothers  of  the 
Communal  Christian  School  saluted  the  "glorious  resur- 
rection of  Jasmin"  with  their  magnificent  music,  which 
was  followed  by  enthusiastic  cheers. 

M.  Henri  Noubel,  Deputy  and  Mayor  of  Agen,  made 
an  eloquent  speech  on  the  unveiling  of  the  statue.  He 
had  already  pronounced  his  eulogium  of  Jasmin  at  the 
burial  of  the  poet,  but  he  was  still  full  of  the  subject, 
and  brought  to  mind  many  charming  recollections  of  the 
sweetness  of  disposition  and  energetic  labors  of  Jasmin 
on  behalf  of  the  poor  and  afflicted.  Ho  again  expressed 
his  heartfelt  regret  for  the  departure  of  the  poet. 

M.  Noubel  was  followed  by  M.  TAbbe  Donis,  of  Bor- 
deaux, who  achieved  a  great  success  by  his  eulogy  of  the 
life  of  Jasmin,  whom  he  entitled  "The  Saint  Vincent  de 
Paul  of  poetry." 

He  was  followed  by  the  Abb6  Capot,  in  the  name  of 
the  clergy,  and  by  M.  Magen,  in  tlie  name  of  the  Society 
of  Agriculture,  Sciences,  and  Arts.  They  were  followed 
by  MM.  Azais  and  Pozzl,  who  recited  some  choice  pieces 
of  poetry  in  tlic  Gascon  patois.     M.  Mistral  came  last — 


228  Jasmin. 

the  celebrated  singer  of  "  Mireio  " — who,  with  his  fal- 
tering voice,  recited  a  beautifal  piece  of  poetry  composed 
for  the  occasion,  which  was  enthusiastically  applauded. 

The  day  was  wound  up  with  a  banquet  in  honor  of  M. 
Dubray,  the  artist  who  had  executed  the  bronze  statue. 
The  Place  Jasmin  was  brilliantly  illuminated  during  the 
evening,  where  an  immense  crowd  assembled  to  view  the 
statue  of  the  poet,  whose  face  and  attitude  appeared  in 
splendid  relief  amid  a  blaze  of  light. 

It  is  unnecessary  further  to  describe  the  character  of 
Jasmin.  It  is  sufficiently  shown  by  his  life  and  labors 
— his  genius  and  philanthropy.  In  the  recollections  of 
his  infancy  and  boyhood  he  truthfully  describes  the  pleas- 
ures and  sorrows  of  his  youth — his  love  for  his  mother, 
his  affection  for  his  grandfather,  who  died  in  the  hos- 
pital, "  where  all  the  Jasmins  die."  He  did  not  even 
conceal  the  little  tricks  played  by  him  in  the  academy, 
from  which  he  was  expelled,  nor  the  various  troubles  of 
his  apprenticeship. 

This  was  one  of  the  virtues  of  Jasmin — his  love  of 
truth.  He  never  pretended  to  be  other  than  what  he 
was.  He  was  even  proud  of  being  a  barber,  with  liis 
"  hand  of  velvet."  He  was  pleased  to  be  entertained  by 
the  coiffeurs  of  Agen,  Paris,  Bordeaux,  and  Toulouse. 
He  was  a  man  of  the  people,  and  believed  in  the  dignity 
of  labor.  At  the  same  time,  but  for  his  perseverance 
and  force  of  character,  he  never  could  have  raised  him- 
self to  the  honor  and  power  of  the  true  poet. 

He  was  born  poor,  and  the  feeling  of  inherited  poverty 
adhered  to  him  through  life,  and  inspired  him  with  pro- 
found love  for  the  poor  and  the  afflicted  of  his  class.  He 
was  always  ready  to  help  them,  whether  they  lived  near  to 
him  or  far  from  him.     He  was,  in  truth,  *'  The  Saint 


Death  of  Jasmin:  Ills  Character.  229 

Vincent  dc  Paul  of  poetry."  His  statue,  said  M.  Noubel, 
pointinf^  up  to  it,  represented  the  glorification  of  genius 
and  virtue,  the  conquest  of  ignorance  and  misery. 

M.  Deydou  said  at  Bordeaux,  when  delivering  an  ad- 
dress upon  the  genius  of  Jasmin — his  Eminence  Cardinal 
Donnet  presiding  —  that  poetry,  when  devoted  to  the 
cause  of  charity,  according  to  the  poet  himself,  was  "the 
glory  of  the  earth  and  the  perfume  of  heaven." 

Jasmin  loved  his  dear  town  of  Agen,  and  was«proud 
of  it.  After  his  visit  to  the  metropolis,  he  said,  "  If 
Paris  makes  me  proud,  Agen  makes  me  happy."  "  This 
town,"  he  said,  on  another  occasion,  '*  has  been  my  birth- 
place ;  soon  it  shall  be  my  grave."  lie  loved  his  country, 
too,  and  above  all  he  loved  his  native  language.  It  was 
his  mother-tongue  ;  and  "though  he  was  often  expostu- 
lated with  for  using  it,  he  never  forsook  the  Gascon.  It 
was  the  language  of  the  home,  of  the  fireside,  of  the 
fields,  of  the  workshop,  of  the  people  among  whom  he 
lived,  and  he  resolved  ever  to  cherish  and  elevate  the 
Gascon  dialect. 

"  Popular  and  purely  natural  poetry,"  said  Montaigne 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  "has  a  simplicity  and  graceful- 
ness which  surpass  the  beauty  of  poetry  according  to 
art."  Jasmin  united  the  naive  artlessness  of  poetry  with 
the  perfection  of  art.  He  retained  the  simplicity  of 
youth  throughout  his  career,  and  his  domestic  life  was 
the  sanctuary  of  all  the  virtues. 

In  bis  poems  he  vividly  described  filial  love,  conjugal 
tenderness,  and  paternal  affection,  because  no  one  felt 
these  graces  of  life  more  fervently  than  himself.  He  was 
like  the  Italian  painter  who  never  went  beyond  his  home 
for  a  beautiful  model 

Victor  Hugo  says  that  a  great  man  is  like  the  sun — 
most  beautiful  when  he  touches  the  earth,  at  his  rising 


230  Jasmin, 

and  at  his  setting.  Jasmin's  rising  was  in  the  depths 
of  honest  poverty,  but  his  setting  was  glorious.  God 
crowned  his  fine  life  by  a  special  act  of  favor;  for  the 
last  song  of  the  poet  was  his  "act  of  faith" — his  address 
to  Rcnan. 

Jasmin  was  loyal,  single-minded,  self-reliant,  patient, 
temperate,  and  utterly  unselfish.  He  made  all  manner 
of  sacrifices  during  his  efforts  in  the  cause  of  charity. 
Nothing  was  allowed  to  stand  in  the  way  of  his  missions 
on  behalf  of  the  poor.  In  his  journey  of  fifty  days  in 
1854  he  went  from  Orthez — the  country  of  Gaston  Phoe- 
bus— to  the  mountains  of  Auvergne,  in  spite  of  the  rigors 
of  the  weather.  During  that  journey  he  collected  20,000 
francs.  In  aH,  as  we  have  said,  he  collected,  during  his 
lifetime,  more  than  a  million  and  a  half  of  francs,  all  of 
which  he  devoted  to  the  cause  of  philanthropy. 

Two  words  were  engraved  on  the  pedestal  of  his  statue, 
"  Poetry  "  and  "  Charity."  Charity  was  the  object  and 
purpose  of  his  heroic  programme.  Yet,  in  his  poetry  he 
always  exhibited  his  tender-hearted  gayety.  Even  when  he 
weeps  you  see  the  ray  of  sunlight  in  his  tears.  Though 
simple  as  a  child  in  ordinary  life,  he  displayed  in  his 
writings  the  pathos  and  satire  of  the  ancient  Troubadours, 
with  no  small  part  of  the  shrewdness  and  wit  attributed 
to  persons  of  his  calling. 

Although  esteemed  and  praised  by  all  ranks  and  classes 
of  people — by  king,  emperor,  princes,  and  princesses;  by 
cardinals  and  bishops;  by  generals,  magistrates,  literary 
men,  and  politicians — though  the  working  people  almost 
worshipped  him,  and  village  girls  strewed  flowers  along 
his  path-way — though  the  artisan  quitted  his  workshop, 
and  the  working-woman  her  washing-tub,  to  listen  to  his 
marvellous  recitations,  yet  Jasmin  never  lost  his  head  or 
was  carried  away  by  the  enthusiastic  cheers  which  accom- 


Death  of  Jasmin:  His  Character.  231 

panied  his  efforts,  but  remained  simple  and  unaffected  to 
the  hist. 

Another  characteristic  of  him  was  that  he  never  for- 
sook his  friends,  however  poor.  His  happiest  moments 
were  those  in  which  he  encountered  a  companion  of  his 
early  youth.  Many  still  survived  who  had  accompanied 
him  while  making  up  his  bundle  of  fagots  on  the  islands 
of  the  Garonne.  He  was  delighted  to  shake  hands  with 
them,  and  to  help,  when  necessary,  these  playmates  of  his 
boyhood. 

He  would  also  meet  with  pleasure  the  working-women 
of  his  acquaintance:  those  who  had  related  to  him  the 
stories  of  Loup  Garou  and  the  traditions  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  encouraged  the  boy  from  his  earliest  youth. 
Then,  at  a  later  period  of  his  life,  nothing  could  have 
been  more  worthy  of  him  than  his  affection  for  his  old 
benefactor,  M.  Baze,  and  his  pleading  with  Napoleon  HI., 
through  the  Empress,  for  his  return  to  France  "through 
the  great  gate  of  honor !" 

Had  Jasmin  a  fault?  Yes,  he  had  many,  for  no  one 
exists  within  the  I'fmits  of  perfection.  But  he  had  one 
in  especial,  which  he  himself  confessed.  He  was  vain  and 
loved  applause;  ifor  did  he  conceal  his  love. 

When  at  Toulouse,  he  said  to  some  of  his  friends,  "  I 
love  to  be  applauded :  it  is  my  whim ;  and  I  think  it 
would  be  difficult  for  a  poet  to  free  himself  from  the 
excitement  of  applause."  When  at  Paris,  he  said,  "  Ap- 
plaud !  applaud !  The  cheers  you  raise  will  be  heard  at 
Agen."  Who  would  not  overlook  a  fault,  if  fault  it  be, 
which  is  confessed  in  so  naive  a  manner? 

When  complimented  about  reviving  the  traditions  of 
the  Troubadours,  Jasmin  replied,  "The  Troubadours, 
indeed!  Why,  I  am  a  better  poet  than  any  of  the 
Troubadours!     Not  one  of  them  could  have  composed 


232  Jasmin. 

a  long  poem  of  sustained  interest  like  my  "Francon- 
nette." 

Any  fault  or  weakness  which  Jasmin  exhibited  was 
effaced  by  the  good  wishes  and  prayers  of  thousands 
of  the  poor  and  afflicted  whom  he  had  relieved  by  his 
charity  and  benevolence..  The  reality  of  his  life  almost 
touches  the  ideal.     Indeed,  it  was  a  long  apostolate. 

Cardinal  Donnet,  Archbishop  of  Bordeaux,  said  of  him 
that "  he  was  gifted  with  a  rich  nature,  a  loyal  and  un- 
reserved character,  and  a  genius  as  fertile  as  the  soil  of 
his  native  country.  The  lyre  of  Jasmin,"  he  said,  "  had 
three  chords,  which  summed  up  the  harmonies  of  heaven 
and  earth — the  true,  the  useful,  and  the  beautiful." 

Did  not  the  members  of  the  French  Academy — the 
highest  literary  institution  in  the  world — strike  a  gold 
medal  in  his  honor,  with  the  inscription  :  "Za  medaille 
du  2)oete  moral  et  pojndai?^ ?"  M.  Sainte-Beuve,  the  most 
distinguished  of  French  critics,  used  a  much  stronger  ex- 
pression. He  said,  "  If  France  had  ten  poets  like  Jasmin 
— ten  poets  of  the  same  power  and  influence — she  need 
no  longer  have  any  fear  of  revolutions." 

Genius  is  as  nothing  in  the  sight  of  God ;  but "  who- 
soever shall  give  a  cup  of  water  to  drin\  in  the  name  of 
Christ,  because  they  belong  to  Christ,  shall  not  lose  his 
reward."  M.  Tron,  Deputy  and  Mayor  of  Bagnere-du- 
Luchon,  enlarged  upon  this  text  in  his  eulogy  of  Jasmin. 

"He  was  a  man,"  he  said,  "as  rich  in  his  heart  as  in 
his  genius.  He  carried  out  that  life  of 'going  about 
doing  good '  which  Christ  rehearsed  for  our  instruc- 
tion. He  fed  the  hungry,  clothed  the  naked,  succored 
the  distressed,  and  consoled  and  sympathized  with  the 
afflicted.  Few  men  have  accomplished  more  than  he 
has  done.  His  existence  was  unique,  not  only  in  the 
history  of  poets,  but  of  philanthropists." 


Death  of  Jasmin:  His  Character.  233 

A  life  so  full  of  good  could  only  end  with  a  Christian 
death.  He  departed  with  a  lively  faith  and  serene  piety, 
crowning  by  a  peaceful  death  one  of  the  strangest 
and  most  diversified  careers  in  the  nineteenth  century. 
"  Poetry  "  and  "  Charity,"  inscribed  on  the  pedestal  of 
his  statue  in  Agen,  fairly  sums  up  his  noble  life  and 
character. 


APPENDIX. 

TKANSLATIONS  FROM  JASMIN'S  POEMS. 


APPENDIX. 


JASMIN'S   DEFENCE   OF  THE  GASCON  DIALECT. 

To  M.  Sylvain  Dumon,  Deputy  -  Minister,  toho  has  condemned  to 
death  our  native  language. 

There's  not  a  deeper  grief  to  man 

Than  when  onr  mother,  faint  with  years, 
Decrepit,  old,  and  weak,  and  wan, 

Bej'ond  the  leech's  art  appears ; 
When  Vy  lier  conch  her  son  may  stay. 

And  press  her  hand,  and  watch  her  eyes. 
And  feel,  thotigh  she  survives  to-day. 

Perchance  his  liope  to-morrow  dies. 

It  is  not  thus,  believe  me,  sir. 

With  this  enchantress — we  will  call 

Onr  second  mother;  Frenchmen  err 

Who,  cent'ries  since,  proclaimed  her  fall ! 

Our  mother-tongue,  all  melody. 


Yes!  still  she  lives,  her  words  still  ring, 
Her  children  yet  her  carols  sing; 
And  thousand  years  may  roll  away 
Before  her  magic  notes  decay. 

The  people  love  their  ancient  songs,  and  will 
While  yet  a  people,  love  and  keep  them  still. 
These  lays  are  like  their  mother — they  recall 
Fond  thoughts  of  brother^  sister,  friends,  and  all 


238  Jasmin. 

The  many  little  tilings  that  please  the  beart — 
Those  dreams  and  hopes,  from  which  we  cannot  part ; 
These  songs  are  as  sweet  waters,  where  we  find 
Health  in  the  sparkling  wave  that  nerves  the  mind. 
In  every  home,  at  every  cottage  door. 
By  every  fireside,  when  our  toil  is  o'er. 
These  songs  are  round  us,  near  our  cradles  sigh, 
And  to  the  grave  attend  us  when  we  die. 

Oh!  think,  cold  critic!  'twill  be  late  and  long 
Ere  time  shall  sweep  away  this  flood  of  song! 
There  are  who  hid  this  music  sound  no  more, 
And  you  can  hear  them,  nor  defend — deplore! 
You,  who  were  born  w^here  the  first  daisies  grew, 
Have  fed  upon  its  honey,  sipp'd  its  dew^, 

Slept  in  its  arms,  and  wakened  to  its  kiss, 
Danced  to  its  sounds,  and  warbled  to  its  tone — 

You  can  forsake  it  in  an  hour  like  this ! 
Weary  of  age,  you  may  renounce,  disown. 
And  blame  one  minstrel  who  is  true — alone ! 

For  me,  truth  to  my  eyes  made  all  things  plain  ; 

At  Paris,  the  great  fount,  I  did  not  find 
The  waters  pure,  and  to  my  stream  again 

I  come,  with  saddened  and  with  sobered  mind; 
And  now  the  spell  is  broken,  and  I  rate 
The  little  country  far  above  the  great. 

For  you,  who  seem  her  sorrow^s  to  deplore. 
You,  seated  high  in  power,  the  first  among, 

Beware !  nor  make  her  cause  of  grief  the  more ; 
Believe  her  mis'ry,  nor  condemn  her  tongue. 

Methinks  you  injure  where  you  seek  to  heal, 

If  you  deprive  her  of  that  only  weal. 

We  love,  alas!  to  sing  in  our  distress; 
For  so  the  bitterness  of  woe  seems  less  ; 
But  if  we  may  not  in  our  language  mourn, 
What  will  the  polish'd  give  us  in  return  ? 


Appendix.  239 

Fiue  sentences,  bnt  all  for  us  nnnicet — 

Words  full  of  grace,  even  such  as  courtiers  greet : 

A  deck'd  out  miss,  too  delicate  and  uico 

To  walk  in  fields;  too  tender  and  precise 

To  sing  the  chorus  of  the  poor,  or  conic 

When  Labor  lays  him  down  fatigued  at  home. 

To  cover  rags  with  gilded  robes  were  vain — 
The  rents  of  poverty  would  show  too  plaiu. 

How  would  this  dainty  dame,  with  haughty  brow, 
Shrink  at  a  load,  and  shudder  at  a  plough ! 
Sulky,  and  piqued,  and  silent  would  she  stand 

As  the  tired  peasant  urged  his  team  along : 
No  word  of  kind  encouragement  at  hand. 

For  flocks  no  welcome,  and  for  herds  no  song! 

Yet  wo  will  learn,  and  you  shall  teach — 
Our  people  shall  have  double  speech : 
One  to  be  homely,  oue  polite, 

As  you  have  robes  for  different  wear ; 
But  this  is  all: — 'tis  just  and  right. 

And  more  our  children  will  not  bear. 
Lest  flocks  of  buzzards  flit  along, 
Where  nightingales  once  poured  their  song. 

There  may  be  some  who,  vain  and  proud. 
May  ape  the  manners  of  the  crowd. 
Lisp  French,  and  maim  it  at  each  word, 
And  jest  and  gibe  to  all  afford  ; 
But  we,  as  in  long  ages  past. 
Will  still  be  poets  to  the  last!* 

Hark  !  and  list  the  bridal  song. 
As  they  lead  the  bride  along: 
"  Hear,  gentle  bride !  your  mother's  sighs, 
And  you  would  hence  away ! 

*  Jasiuia  here  quotes  several  paloU  songs,  well  known  in  the  country. 


240  Jasmin. 

Weep,  weep,  for  tears  become  those  eyes." 
"I  cannot  weep — to-day." 

Hark!  the  farmer  in  the  mead 
Bids  the  shepherd  swain  take  heed: 
"  Come,  your  lambs  together  fokl, 

Haste,  my  sous!  yonr  toil  is  o'er: 
For  the  setting  sun  has  told 

That  the  ox  should  work  no  more." 

Hark!  the  cooper  in  the  shade 

Sings  to  the  sound  his  hammer  made: 

"  Strike,  comrades,  strike !  prepare  the  cask, 

'Tis  lusty  May  that  fills  the  flask: 

Strike,  comrades!  summer  suns  that  shine 

Fill  the  cellars  full  of  wine." 

Verse  is,  with  us,  a  charm  divine, 
Our  people,  loving  verse,  will  still, 

Unknowing  of  their  art,  intwine 
Garlands  of  poesy  at  will. 

Their  simple  language  suits  them  best: 

Then  let  them  keep  it  and  be  blest. 

Let  the  wise  critics  build  a  wall 

Between  the  nurse's  cherished  Aoice, 
And  the  fond  ear  her  words  inthrall, 

And  say  their  idol  is  her  choice. 
Yes! — let  our  fingers  feel  the  rule, 
The  angry  chiding  of  the  school; 
True  to  our  nurse,  in  good  or  ill. 
We  are  not  French,  but  Gascon  still. 

'Tis  said  that  age  new  feeling  brings, 
Our  youth  returns  as  we  grow  old; 

And  that  we  love  again  the  things 

Which  in  our  memory  had  grown  cold. 

If  this  be  true,  the  time  will  come 
When  to  our  ancient  tongue,  once  more, 


Apiyendix.  241 

You  will  return,  as  to  a  home, 

Aud  thank  us  that  we  kept  the  store. 

Remember  thou  the  tale  they  tell 

Of  Lacu6e  and  Lacep^de,* 
Wlieu  age  crept  on,  who  loved  to  dwell 

On  words  that  once  their  music  made ; 
And,  in  the  midst  of  grandeur,  hung. 
Delighted,  on  their  parent  tongue. 

This  AY  ill  you  do  :  and  it  may  be. 

When  weary  of  the  world's  deceit, 
Some  summer-day  we  yet  may  see 

Your  coming  in  our  meadows  sweet; 
Where,  midst  the  flowers,  the  fiuch's  lay 
Shall  welcome  you  with  music  gay; 
While  you  sh.all  bid  our  antique  tongue 

Some  word  devise,  or  air  supply, 
Like  those  that  charm'd  your  youth  so  long, 

And  lent  a  spell  to  memory. 

Bethink  you  how  we  stray 'd  alone 
IJoncath  those  elms  in  Agen  grown. 
That  each  an  arch  above  us  throws, 
Like  giants,  hand  in  hand,  in  rows. 

A  storm  once  struck  a  ftiv'rito  tree. 

It  trembled,  shook,  and  bent  its  boughs, — 

The  vista  is  no  longer  free: 
Our  governor  no  pause  allows; 

"  Bring  hither  hatchet,  axe,  and  spade, 

The  tree  must  straight  be  prostrate  laid!" 

But  vainly  strength  and  art  were  tried, 

The  stately  tree  all  force  defied ; 

Well  might  the  elm  resist  and  foil  their  might. 

For  though  his  branches  were  decay'd  to  sight, 


*  Both  Gascons. 
11 


242  Jasmin. 

As  many  as  his  leaves  the  roots  spread  round, 
And  in  the  firm  set  earth  they  slept  i)rofound. 

Since  then,  more  full,  more  green,  more  gay, 
The  crests  amid  the  breezes  play : 
And  birds  of  every  note  and  hue 
Come  trooping  to  his  shade  in  spring; 
Each  summer  they  their  lays  renew, 
And  while  the  years  endure  they  sing. 

And  thus  it  is,  believe  me,  sir, 

With  this  enchantress — she  we  call 
Onr  second  mother;  Frenchmen  err 
Who,  ceut'ries  since,  proclaimed  her  fall. 

No !  she  still  lives,  her  words  still  ring, 
Her  children  yet  her  carols  slug ; 
And  thousand  years  may  roll  away 
Before  her  magic  notes  decay. 

September  2,  1837. 


THE  MASON'S   SON.* 
[la  semmano  d'ux  fil.] 

Riches,  u'oublies  pas  un  eeul  petit  moment 

Que  des  panvres  la  grande  couvee 
Se  reveille  toujours  le  sonrire  a  la  bouche 

Quand  elle  s'eudort  sans  avoir  faire ! 

Riche  et  Pauvre. 

I. 

The  swallows  fly  about,  although  the  air  is  cold, 
Onr  once  fair  sun  has  shed  his  brightest  gold. 

The  fields  decay 

On  All-Saints  day. 

*  Jasmin  says,  "  the  subject  of  this  poem  is  historical,  and  re- 
cently took  place  in  our  neighborhood." 


Appendix.  243 

Grouud  's  hard  afoot, 

The  birds  are  mute; 
The  tree-tops  shed  their  chill'd  aud  yellow  leaves, 
They  dying  fall,  and  whirl  about  iu  sheaves. 

One  night,  when  leaving  late  a  neighb'riug  town, 

Although  the  heavens  were  clear, 
Two  children  paced  along,  with  many  a  moan — 

Brother  and  sister  dear; 
And  when  they  readied  the  way-side  cross 

Upon  their  knees  they  fell  quite  close. 

Abel  and  Jane,  by  the  moon's  light. 

Were  long  time  silent  quite  ; 

As  they  before  the  altar  bend, 

With  one  accord  their  voices  sweet  ascend: 

"Mother  of  God,  Virgin  compassionate! 

Oh !  send  thy  angel  to  abate 

The  sickness  of  our  father  dear, 

Tliat  mother  may  no  longer  fear — 

And  for  us  both!     Oh!  Blessed  Mother, 

We  love  thee,  more  aud  more,  we  two  together !" 

Tlio  Virgin  doubtless  heard  their  prayer. 

For,  when  they  reached  the  cottage  near, 

The  door  before  them  opened  wide. 

And  the  dear  mother,  ere  she  turned  aside. 

Cried  out;  "My  children  brave, 

The  fever's  gone — your  father's  life  is  safe! 

Now  come,  my  little  lambs,  and  thank  God  for  His  grace." 

Iu  their  small  cot,  forthwith  the  three, 
To  God  iu  prayer  did  bend  the  knee. 
Mother  and  children  iu  their  gladness  weeping, 
While  on  a  sorry  bed  a  man  lay  sleeping — 

It  was  the  father,  good  Ililaire ! 
Not  long  ago,  a  soldier  brave, 
Bat  now— a  working  mason's  slave. 


244'  Jasmin. 

II. 

<> 

The  dawn  next  day  was  clear  and  bright, 
The  glint  of  morning  sunlight 
Gleamed  through  the  windows  taper, 
Although  they  only  were  patched  up  with  paper. 

When  Abel  noiseless  entered,  with  his  footfall  slight, 

He  slipped  along  to  the  bedside; 
He  oped  the  little  curtain,  without  stirring  of  the  rings; 
His  father  woke  and  smiled,  with  joy  that  pleasure  brings. 

"  Abel,"  he  said,  "  I  longed  for  thee ;   now  listen  thou  to 

me: 
We're  very  poor  indeed — I've  nothing  save  my  weekly  fee ; 
But  Heaven  has  helped  our  lives  to  save — by  curing  me. 

Dear  boy,  already  thou  art  fifteen  years — 

You  know  to  read,  to  write — then  have  no  fears ; 
Thou  art  alone,  thou'rt  sad,  but  dream  no  more. 
Thou  ought'st  to  work,  for  now  thou  hast  the  power! 
I  know  thy  pain  and  sorrow,  and  thy  deep  alarms ; 
More  good  than  strong — how  could  thy  little  arras 

Ply  hard  the  hammer  on  the  stony  blocks  ? 
But  our  hard  master,  though  he  likes  good  looks. 

May  find  thee  quite  a  youth ; 
He  says  that  thou  hast  spirit;  and  he  means  for  thy  be- 
hoof. 

Then  do  what  gives  thee  pleasure. 
Without  vainglory,  Abel ;  and  spend  thy  precious  leisure 
In  Avriting  or  in  working — each  is  a  labor  worthy, 
Either  with  pen  or  hammer — they  are  the  tools  most  lofty ; 
Labor  in  mind  or  body,  they  do  fatigue  us  ever — 
But  then,  Abel  my  son,  I  hope  that  never 

One  blush  upon  you  e'er  will  gather 

To  shame  the  honor  of  your  father." 

Abel's  blue  eyes  were  bright  with  bliss  and  joy — 
Father  rejoiced — four  times  embraced  the  boy; 


Appendix.  245 

Mother  and  daughter  mixed  their  tears  and  kisses, 
Then  Abel  saw  the  master,  to  his  happiness, 
And  afterwards  four  days  did  pass, 

All  full  of  joyfuluess. 
But  pleasure  with  the  poor  is  always  nnenduring. 
A  brutal  order  had  been  given  on  Sunday  morning 
That  if  next  day  the  father  did  not  show  liis  face. 

Another  workman,  in  that  case, 

Would  bo  employed  to  take  his  place! 

A  shot  of  cannon  filled  with  grape 

Could  not  have  caused  such  grief. 

As  this  most  cruel  order  gives 

To  these  four  poor  unfortunates. 

"  I'm  cured !"  Hilaire  cried ;  "  let  me  rise  and  dress ;" 
Ho  tried — fell  back  ;  and  then  ho  must  confess 
Ho  could  not  labor  for  another  week! 
Oh,  wretched  plight — 

For  him,  his  work  was  life ! 

Should  he  keep  sick, 'twas  deatli! 
All  four  sat  mute ;  sudden  a  ray  of  hope 
Beamed  in  the  soul  of  Abel. 
Ho  brushed  the  tear-drops  from  his  een. 
Assumed  a  manly  mien. 

Strength  rushed  into  his  little  arras, 
On  his  bright  face  the  blushes  came ; 
He  rose  at  once,  and  went  to  reason 
With  that  cruel  master-mason. 

Abel  returned,  with  spirits  bright. 
No  longer  trembling  with  affright; 

At  once  ho  gayly  cries. 
With  laughing  mouth  and  laughing  eyes: — 

"My  father!  take  your  rest;  have  faith  and  courage; 
Take  all  the  week,  then  thou  shalt  work  apace; 
Some  one,  who  loves  thee  well,  will  take  thy  place, 
Then  thou  may'st  go  again  and  show  thy  face." 


246  Jasmin. 

III. 

Saved  by  a  friend,  indeed!     He  yet  had  friends  in  store! 

Oh!   how  I  wish  that  in  this  life  so  lonely.  .  .  . 

But,  all  will  be  explained  at  work  on  Monday ; 

There  are  good  friends  as  yet — perhaps  there's  many  more. 

It  was  indeed  our  Abel  took  his  father's  place. 

At  office  first  he  showed  his  face; 
Then  to  the  work-yard:   thus  his  father  he  beguiled. 
Spite  of  his  slender  mien,  he  worked  and  always  smiled. 
He  was  as  deft  as  workmen  twain ;   he  dressed 
The  stones,  and  in  the  mortar  then  he  pressed 
The  heavy  blocks;   the  workmen  found  him  cheerful. 

Mounting  the  ladder  like  a  bird: 

He  skipped  across  the  rafters  fearful. 
He  smiled  as  he  ascended,  smiled  as  he  descended— 
The  very  masons  trembled  at  his  hardiness: 
But  he  was  working  for  his  father — in  his  gladness, 

His  life  was  full  of  happiness ; 

His  brave  companions  loved  the  boy 

Who  filled  their  little  life  with  joy. 
They  saw  the  sweat  run  down  his  brow, 
And  clapped  their  hands,  though  weary  he  was  now. 

What  bliss  of  Abel,  when  the  day's  work  's  o'er, 
And  the  bright  stars  were  shining : 
Unto  the  office  he  must  go, 
And  don  his  better  clothing — 
Thus  his   poor   father  to  deceive,  who  thought    he  went 

a-clerkiug. 
He  took  his  paper  home  and  wrote,  midst  talk  with  Jane 

so  shyly, 
And  with  a  twinkling  eye  he  answered  mother's  looks  so  slyly. 

Three  days  thus  passed,  and  the  sick  man  arose, 
Life  now  appeared  to  him  a  sweet  repose. 

On  Thursday,  tempting  was  the  road ; 
At  mid-day,  Friday,  he  must  walk  abroad. 


Appendix.  247 

But,  fatal  Friday — God  has  made  tbee  for  sorrow. 

The  father,  warmed  up  by  the  sun's  bright  ray, 

Hied  to  the  work-yard,  smiling  by  the  way; 

He  wished  to  thank  the  friend  who  worked  for  him. 

But  saw  him  not — his  eyes  were  dim — 
Yet   ho  was   near;    and   looking   up,  ho    saw   no    people 

working, 
No  dinner-bell  had  struck,  no  workmen  sure  were  lurking. 
Oh,  God !  what's  happened  at  the  building  yard  ? 
A  crowd  collected — master,  mason — as  on  guard. 
"What's  this!''  the  old  man  cried.     "Alas!  some  man  has 

fallen  !" 
Perhaps  it  was  his  friend !    His  soul  with  grief  was  burning. 
Ho  ran.     Before  him  thronged  the  press  of  men, 

They  tried  to  thrust  him  back  again ; 
But  no  ;  Hilaire  pressed  through  the  crowd  of  working  men. 

Oh,  wretched  father — man  unfortunate; 
The  friend  who  saved  thee  was  thy  child— sad  fate 
Now  he  has  fallen  from  the  ladder's  head. 
And  lies  a  bleeding  mass,  now  nearly  dead ! 

Now  Hilaire  uttered  a  most  fearful  cry; 

The  child  had  given  his  life,  now  he  might  die. 

Alas !  the  bleeding  youth 
Was  in  his  death-throes,  he  could  scarcely  breathe ; 
"Master,"  ho  said, "  I've  not  fulGUed  my  task. 
But,  in  the  name  of  my  poor  mother  dear, 
For  the  day  lost,  take  father  on  at  last." 

The   father  heard,  o'er  whelmed  he  was  with   terror   and 

with  fear, 
Abel  now  saw  him,  and  ho  felt  that  he  was  near. 
Inclined  his  head  upon  his  breast,  and  praying — 
Hand  held  in  hand,  he  smiled  on  him  when  dying. 

For  Hilaire,  his  placo  was  well  preserved, 
His  wages  might  porhaps  be  doubled. 


248  Jasmin. 

Too  late !  too  late !   one  saddened  morn 
The  sorrow  of  bis  life  was  goue; 
Aud  the  good  ftither,  with  his  pallid  face, 
Went  now  to  take  another  place 
Within  the  grave,  beside  bis  loved  son. 


THE   POOR  MAN'S   DOCTOR. 

[lou  mkdici  des  paures,] 

Dedicated  to  M.  Cany,  Fhysician  of  Toulouse. 

[With  the  permission  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  J,  Dmican  Craig,  of  Glenagary, 
Kingstou,  Dublin,  I  adopt,  with  some  alterations,  his  free  translation  of 
Jasmin's  poem.] 

Sweet  comes  this  April  morning,  its  faint  perfumes  ex- 
haling ; 
Brilliant  shines  the   sun,  so    crisp,  so  bright,  so   freshcn- 

Pearl-like  gleam  and  sparkle  the  dew-drops  on  the  rose, 
While  gray  and   gnarled  olives  droop  like  giants  in  re- 
pose. 

Soundeth  low,  solemnly,  the  mid-day  bell  in  th'  air, 

Glideth  on  sadl}'^  a  maiden  sick  with  care; 

Her  head  is  bent,  and  sobbing  words  she  sheds  with  many 

a  tear, 
But  'tween  the  chapel  and  the  windmill  another  doth  ix,\i- 

pear. 

She  laughs  and  plucks  the  lovely  flowers  with  many  a. 

joyous  bound, 
The    other,  pale    and    spiritless,  looks    upward    from    the 

ground ; 
"  Where   goest   thou,   sweet   Marianne,   this    lovely    April 

day  ?" 
"Beneath  the  elms  of  Ageu — there  lies  my  destined  way. 


Appendix.  249 

"  I  go  to  seek  tbis  very  day  the  Doctor  of  the  Poor.* 
Did'st   tliou   not   Lear  how   skilfully  he   did  my  mother 

cure  ? 
Behold  this  silver  in  my  hand,  these  violets  so  sweet, 
The   guerdon   of  his   loving   care  —  I'll  lay  them   at   his 

feet. 

"Now,  dost  thou  not  remember,  my  darling  Marianne, 

How  in  our  lonely  hut  the  typhus-fever  ran  ? 

And  wo  were  poor,  without   a  friend,  or  e'en   our   daily 

bread, 
And  sadly  then,  and  sorrowful,  dear  mother   bowed  her 

head. 

"  One  day,  the  sun  was  shining  low  in  lurid  western  sliy, 
All,  all,  our  little  wealth  was  gone,  and  mother  yearned 

to  die. 
When  sudden,  at  the  open  door,  a  shadow  crossed  the  way, 
And  cheerfully  a  manly  voice  did  words  of  comfort  say  : 

"'Take  courage,  friends,  your  ills  I  know,  your  life  I  hope 

to  save.' 
'Too  late!'  dear  mother  cried — 'too  late!     My  home  is  in 

the  grave ; 
Our  things  are  x^lcdged,  our  med'cino  gone,  e'en  bread  we 

cannot  buy.' 
The  doctor  shudder'd,  then  grew  pale,  but  sadly  still  drew 

nish. 


*  In  the  last  edition  of  Jasmin's  poems  (4  vols.  8vo,  edited  by 
Boyer  d'Agen)  it  is  stated  (p.  40,  1st  vol.)  tliat  "  M.  Duiand,  phy- 
sician, was  one  of  those  rare  men  whom  Providence  seems  to  have 
provided  to  assuage  the  lot  of  the  poorest  classes.  Ills  career  was 
full  of  noble  acts  of  devotion  towards  the  sick  whom  he  was  called 
upon  to  cure.  lie  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-five,  of  a  stroke 
of  apoplexy.  His  remains  were  accompanied  to  the  grave  by  near^ 
ly  all  the  poor  of  Agcn  and  the  neighborhood." 
11* 


250  Jasmin. 

"No  curtains  had  we  on  our  bed  :  I  marked  bis  pallid  face  ; 
Five  silver  crowns  now  forth  be  drew  witli  melaucboly 

grace — 
'Poor  woman,  take  these  worthless   coins,  suppress  your 

bitter  grief! 
Don't  blush;  repay  them  when  you  can — these  drops  will 

give  relief/ 

'•'  He  left  the  but,  and  went  away ;  soon  sleep's  refreshing 

calm 
Relieved   the  patient  he   bad   helped — a  wonder-working 

balm ; 
The  world   now   seemed  to  smile  again,  like  spring -tide 

flowers  so  gay, 
While  mother,  brothers,  and  myself,  incessant  worked  away. 

"Thus,  like  the  swallows  which  return  with  spring  unto 

our  shore, 
The  doctor  brought  rejoicing  back  unto  our  vine-wreathed 

door ; 
And  we  are  happy,  Isabel,  and  money  too  we'v^e  made ; 
Bat  why  dost  weep,  when  I  can  laugh?"  the  gentle  maiden 

said. 

"Alas!   alas!   dear  Marianne,  I  weep  and  mourn  to-day. 
From  your  bouse  to  our  cottage-home  the  fever  made  its  waj' ; 
My  father  lies  with  ghastly  face,  and  many  a  raving  cry — 
Oh,  would  that  Durand  too  might  come,  before  the  sick 
man  die!" 

"Dear   Isabel,  haste    on,   haste   on— we'll  seek  bis   bouse 

this  hour ! 
Come,  let    us  run,  and    hasten    on    with  all   our    utmost 

power. 
He'll  leave  the  richest  palace  for  the  poor  man's  humble 

roof — 
He's  far  from  rich,  except  in  love— of  that  we've  had  full 

proof!" 


Appendix.  261 

The  good  God  bless  tlie  noblo  heart  that  caretli   for  the 

poor ; 
Aud  forth   the  panting  children   speed  to   seek    the    sick 

man's  cure; 
And  as  beneath  our  giant  elius  they  pass  with  rapid  tread, 
They  scarcely  dare  to  look  aronud,  or  lift  their  weary  bead. 

The  town  at  last  is  reached,  by  the  Pont-Long  they  enter, 
Close  by  the  Rne  dcs  Jacobins,  near  Diirand's  house  they 

venture. 
Around  the  portals  of  the  door  there  throngs  a  mournful 

crowd ; 
They   see   the  cross,  they  hear   the  priests   the  requiem 

chant  aloud. 

The  girls  were  troubled  in  their  souls,  their  minds  were 

rent  with  grief; 
One  above  all,  young  Marianne,  was  trembling  like  a  leaf: 
Anotlier   death  —  oh,  cruel   thought!    then    of  her   father 

<lving, 
She  quickly  ran  to  Durand's  door,  and  asked  a  neighbor, 

crying: 

"Where's   the  good  doctor,  sir,  I  pray?      I  seek  him  for 

njy  father !" 
He  soft  replied,  "The  gracious  God  into  His  fold  doth  gather 
The  best  of  poor  folks'  doctors  now,  to  his  eternal  rest ; 
They  bear  the  body  forth,  'tis  true :  his  spirit's  with  the 

blest." 

Bright  on  his  corpse  the  candles  shine  around  his  narrow 

bier. 
Escorted  by  the  crowds  of  poor  with  many  a  bitter  tear ; 
No  more,  alas!  can  ho  the  sad  and  anguish-laden  cure — 
Oh,  wail  I     For  Durand  is  no   moi-o  —  the   Doctor  of  the 

Poor! 


252  Jasmin. 


MY  VINEYARD.* 

[ma  bigno.] 
To  Madame  Louis  Veill,  de  Paris. 

Dear  lady,  it  is  true,  that  last  mouth  I  have  signed 
A  little  scrap  of  parchment  j  now  I  find 
Myself  the  master  of  a  piece  of  ground 

Withiu  a  small  sweet  hound — 
Not,  as  you  heard,  a  spacious  English  garden 
Covered  with  flowers  and  trees,  to  shrine  your  hard  in — 

But  of  a  tinj^  little  vineyard. 

Which  I  have  baptized  PapiIh6to!" 

Where,  for  a  chamber,  I  have  but  a  grotto. 

The  vine-stocks  hang  about  their  boughs. 

At  other  end  a  screen  of  hedge-rows. 

So  small  they  do  not  half  unroll  ; 

A  hundred  would  not  make  a  mile; 

Six  sheets  would  cover  the  whole  pile. 

Well !  such  as  it  is,  of  this  I've  dreamed  for  twenty  years — 
You  laugh,  madame,  at  my  great  happiness, 
Perhaps  you'll  laugh  still  more,  when  it  appears, 
That  when  I  bonght  the  place,  I  must  confess 

There  were  no  fruits. 

Though  rich  in  roots ; 
Nine  cherry-trees — behold  my  wood! 
Ten  rows  of  vines — my  promenade ! 
A  few  peach-trees;  the  hazels  too; 
Of  elms  and  fountains  there  are  two. 

*  Jasmin  purchased  a  little  piece  of  ground,  which  he  dedicated 
to  his  Curl-papers  {PapiUwto),  on  tlie  road  to  Scah'ger's  villa,  and 
addressed  this  poem  to  his  lady-admirer  in  Paris,  Madame  Louis 
Veill. 


Appendix.  263 

How  rich  I  am!    My  muse  is  grateful  veryj 

Oh!  might  I  paiut  *  while  I  the  i)ciicil  try, 

Our  couutry  loves  the  heavens  so  bright  and  merry. 

Here,  verdure  starts  up  as  we  scratch  the  ground. 
Who  owns  it,  strips  it  into  pieces  round; 
Beneath  our  sun  there's  nought  hut  gayest  sound. 
You  tell  me,  true,  that  in  your  Paris  hot-house, 
You  ripen  two  months  sooner  'neath  your  glass,  of  course. 
What  is  your  fruit?     Mostly  of  water  clear. 
The  heat  may  redden  what  your  tendrils  hear. 
But,   lady    dear,  you    cannot    live  on    fruits  alone   Avhilo 
here! 

Now  slip  away  your  glossy  glove 
And  pluck  that  ripened  peach  above, 
Then  place  it  in  your  i^early  mouth 
And  suck  it— how  it  'lays  your  drouth — 
Melts  in  your  lips  like  honey  of  the  South ! 

Dear  madame,  in  the  North  you  liave  great  sights — 
Of  churches,  castles,  theatres  of  greatest  heights ; 
Your  works  of  art  are  greater  far  than  here. 

But  come  and  see,  quite  near 
The  banks  of  the  Gtironne,  on  a  sweet  summer's  day. 

All  works  of  God!  and  then  you'll  say 

No  place  more  beautiful  and  gay ! 
You  see  the  rocks  in  all  their  velvet  greenery; 

The  plains  are  always  gold ;    and  mossy  very. 
The  valleys,  where  wo  breathe  the  healthy  air, 
And  where  we  walk  on  beds  of  flowers  most  fair! 

The  country  round  your  Paris  has  its  lovely  flowers  and 

greensward, 
But  'tis  too  grand  a  d;une  for  me,  it  is  too  dull  and  sad. 
Here,  thousand  houses  snjile  along  the  river's  stream ; 
Our  sky  is  bright,  it  laughs  aloud  from  morn  to  e'en. 
Since  month  of  May,  when  brightest  weather  bounds 
For  six  montlis,  music  through  the  air  resounds — 


254  Jasmin. 

A  tliousaml  uiglitingales  the  slieplierds'  cars  delight: 
All  sing  of  Love — Love  which  is  new  and  bright. 
Your  Opera,  surprised,  w^ould  sileut  hearken, 
When  day  for  night  has  drawn  aside  its  curtain, 
Under  our  heaveus,  which  very  soon  comes  glowing. 
Listen,  good  God !   our  concert  is  beginning ! 
What  notes!   what  raptures!     Listen,  shepherd-swains, 
One  chant  is  for  the  hill-side,  the  other's  for  the  plains. 

"Those  lofty  mountains 
Far  up  above, 
I  cannot  see 
All  that  I  love; 
Move  lower,  mountains, 
Plains,  up-raove, 
That  I  may  see 
All  that  I  love."  * 

And  thousand  voices  sound  through  heaven's  alcove, 

Coming  across  the  skies  so  blue, 

Making  the  angels  smile  above — 

The  earth  embalms  the  songsters  trne; 

The  nightingales,  from  tree  to  flower, 

Sing  louder,  fuller,  stronger.      * 
"Tis  all  so  sweet,  though  no  one  beats  the  measure. 
To  hear  it  all  while  concerts  last — such  pleasure ! 

Indeed  my  vineyard's  but  a  seat  of  honor, 
For,  from  my  hillock,  shadowed  by  my  bower, 
I  look  upon  the  fields  of  Agen,  and  the  valley  of  Verone.t 
How  happy  am  I  in  my  vineyard!     Such  pleasures  there 

are  none. 
For  here  I  am  the  poet  vine-dresser,  working  for  the  wines. 
I  only  think  of  propping  up  my  arbors  and  my  vines; 

Upon  the  road  I  pick  the  little  stones — 
And  take  them  to  my  vineyard  to  set  them  up  in  cones, 

*  From  a  popular  song  by  Gaston  Phebus. 

f  Referring  to  Verona,  the  villa  of  Scaliger,  the  great  scholar. 


Appendix,  265 

And  thus  I  raako  a  little  house  with  but  a  sheltered  door — 
As  each  friend,  in  his  turn,  now  helps  to  make  the  store. 
And  then  there    comes  the  vintage  —  the  ground  is  firm 

and  fast. 
With  all  my  friends,  whether  with  wallets  or  baskets  cast. 
We  then  proceed  to  gather  up  the  fertile  grapes  at  last. 

Oh  I  my  young  vine, 

The  sun's  bright  shine 

Hath  ripened  thee 

All — all  for  me! 

No  drizzling  showers 

Have  spoilt  the  hours. 

My  muse  can't  borrow ; 

My  friends,  to-morrow 

Cannot  me  lend ; 

But  thee,  young  friend. 

Grapes  nicely  drest. 

With  figs  the  finest 

And  raisins  gather  j 

Bind  them  together! 

Th'  abundant  season 

Will  still  us  bring 

A  glorious  harvesting; 

Close  up  thy  hands  with  bravery 

Upon  the  luscious  grapery  ! 

Now  all  push  forth  their  tendrils ;   I,  though  not  past  all 

remedy. 
At  th'  hour  when  I  am  here,  my  faithful  memory 
Comes  crowding  back;    my  oldest  fiiends 
Now  make  me  young  again — for  x>lcasuro  binds 

Me  to  their  hearts  and  minds. 
But  now  the  curtained  night  comes  on  again. 

I  see  the  meadows  sweet  around. 

My  little  island,  midst  the  varying  ground. 

Where  I  liave  often  laughed,  and  sometimes  I  have  groaned. 


256  Jasrain. 

I  see  far  off  the  leafy  \Yoodlaud, 

Or  near  tlie  fountain,  where  I've  often  dreamed; 

Long  time  ago  there  was  a  famous  niau* 

Who  gave  its  fame  to  Agen. 

I  who  but  write  these  verses  slight 

Midst  thoughts  of  memory  bright. 

But  I  will  tell  you  all — in  front,  to  leffc,  to  right, 
More  than  a  hedge  row  thick  that  I  have  brought  the  light. 
More  than  an  apple-tree  that  I  have  trimmed. 
More  than  an  old  vine-stalk  that  I  have  thinned 

To  ripen  lovely  Muscat. 
Madame,  you  see  that  I  look  back  upon  my  past, 

Without  a  blush  at  last; 
What  would  you  ?     That  I  gave  my  vineyard  back — 

And  that  with  usury?    Alack! 

And  yet  unto  my  garden  I've  no  door — 

Two  thorns  are  all  my  fence — no  more! 
When  the  marauders  come,  and  through  a  hole  I  see  their  nose, 

Instead  of  taking  up  a  stick  to  give  them  blows, 
I  turn  aside  ;  perhaps  they  never  may  return,  the  horde ! 
He  who  young  robs,  when  older  lets  himself  be  robbed  ! 


FRANCONNETTE. 

Part  First. 

Blaise  de  Montluc. — Festival  at  Roquefort. — The  Prettiest  Maiden. 
— The  Soldier  and  the  Shepherds. — Kissing  and  Panting. — Cour- 
age of  Pascal. — Fury  of  Marcel. — Terrible  Contest. 

'TwAS  at  the  time  when  Blaise  the  murderous 
Struck  heavy  blows  by  force  of  arms. 
He  hewed  the  Protestants  to  pieces, 
And,  in  the  name  of  God  the  Merciful, 

Flooded  the  earth  with  sorrow,  blood,  and  tears. 


*  Scaliger. 


Appendix.  25^ 

Alas!  'twas  pitiful— far  worse  beyond  the  liilla, 

Where  flashing  gun  and  cnlveriu  were  lieaid ; 

There  the  unhappy  bore  their  heavy  cross, 

And  suffered,  more  tlian  elsewhere,  agonizing  pain, 

Were  killed  and  strangled,  tumbled  into  wells ; 

'Tweeu  Penne  and  Fmnel  the  saddened  earth  was  gorged. 

Men,  women,  children,  murdered  everywhere. 

The  hangman  even  stopped  for  breath  ; 
While  Blaise,  with  heart  of  steel,  dismounted  at  the  gate 

Of  his  strong  castle  wall. 

With  triple  bridge  and  triple  fosse ; 
Then  kneeling,  made  his  pious  x^rayers, 

Taking  the  Holy  Sacrament, 
His  hands  yet  dripping  with  fraternal  blood  !  * 

Now  every  shepherd,  every  shepherd  lass, 

At  the  word  Huguenot  shuddered  with  affright, 

Even  midst  their  laughing  courtship. 

And  yet  it  came  to  pass 
That  in  a  hamlet,  'ncatli  a  castled  height. 
One  Sunday,  when  a  troop  of  sweethearts  dauced 

Upon  the  day  of  Roquefort  fete. 

And  to  a  life  the  praises  sang 

*  Blaise  de  Montluc,  Marshal  of  France,  was  one  of  the  bitterest 
persecutors  of  the  Iluguenots.  Towards  the  end  of  the  sixteenth 
century  Agen  was  a  centre  of  Protestantism.  The  town  was  taken 
again  and  again  by  the  contending  religious  factions.  When  Mont- 
luc retook  tlve  place,  in  1562,  from  Truellc,  the  Huguenot  captain, 
he  found  that  the  inhabitants  had  fled,  and  there  was  no  one  to 
butcher  {Gascogne  et  Languedoc,  par  Paul  Joanne,  p.  95).  Montluc 
made  up  for  his  disappointment  by  laying  waste  the  country  be- 
tween Fumel  and  Penne,  towns  to  the  north  of  Agen,  and  slaying 
all  the  Iluguenots — men,  women,  and  children — on  whom  he  could 
lay  his  hands.  He  then  returned  to  his  castle  of  Estillac,  devoted 
himself  to  religious  exercises,  and  "  took  the  sacrament,"  says  Jas- 
min," while  his  hands  were  dripping  with  fraternal  blood."  Montluc 
died  in  1577,  and  was  buried  in  the  garden  of  Estillac,  where  a  mon- 
ument, the  ruins  of  which  still  exist,  was  erected  over  his  remains. 


258  Jasmin. 

Of  Saint  James  and  the  August  weather- 
That  bounteous  month  which  year  by  year, 
Through  dew-fall  of  the  evening  bright, 
And  heat  of  autumn  noons  doth  bring 
Both  grapes  and  figs  to  ripening. 

It  was  the  finest  fete  that  eyes  had  ever  seeu 
Under  the  shadow  of  the  leafy  parasol 

Where  aye  the  country-folk  convene. 
O'erflowing  were  the  spaces  all, 
From  cliff,  from  dale,  from  every  home 
Of  Montnguac  and  Sainte-Colombe, 

Still  they  do  come, 
Too  many  far  to  number; 
More  and  ever  more,  while  flames  the  sunshine  o'er, 
There's  room  for  all,  their  coming  Avill  not  cumber. 
The  fields  shall  be  their  chamber,  and  the  little  hillocks 
green 

The  couches  of  their  slumber. 

What  pleasure !  what  delight !  the  sun  now  fills  the  air ; 
The  sweetest  thing  in  life 
Is  the  music  of  the  fife 
And  the  dancing  of  the  fair. 
You  see  their  baskets  emptying 

Of  waffles  all  home-made. 
They  quaff  the  nectar  sparkling 

Of  freshest  lemonade. 
What  crowds  at  Punchinello, 
While  the  showman  beats  his  cymbal! 
Crowds  everywhere ! 
But  who  is  this  appears  below  ? 

Ah !  'tis  the  beauteous  village  queen ! 
Yes,  'tis  she;  'tis  Franconnette ! 
A  fairer  girl  was  never  seen. 

In  the  town  as  in  the  prairie, 
You  must  know  that  every  country 


Appendix.  259 

Has  its  chosen  pearl  of  love. 
Ah,  "well !     This  was  the  one — 
They  named  her  in  the  canton, 
The  prettiest,  sweetest  dove. 

But  now,  yon  must  not  fancy,  gentlemen, 

That  she  was  sad  and  sighing, 

Her  featnres  pale  as  any  lily, 
That  she  had  dying  eyes,  half-shut  and  blue. 
And  slender  figure  clothed  with  languishing, 
Like  to  a  weeping  willow  by  a  limpid  lake. 

Not  so,  my  masters.     Francounette 
Had  two  keen  flashing  eyes,  like  two  live  stars ; 
Her  laughing  cheeks  were  round,  whereon  a  lover  might 

Gather  in  haudfuls  roses  bright ; 

Brown  locks  and  curly  decked  her  head; 

Her  lips  were  as  the  cherry  red. 

Whiter  than  snow  her  teeth ;   her  feet 

How  softly  moulded,  small  and  fleet ; 

How  light  her  limbs!     Ah,  well-a-day ! 

And  of  the  whole  at  once  I  say, 

She  was  the  very  beau-ideal 
Of  beauty  in  a  woman's  form,  most  fair  and  real. 

Such  loveliness,  in  every  race. 

May  sudden  start  to  light. 

She  fired  the  youths  with  ready  love, 

Each  maiden  with  despair. 

Poor  youths,  indeed!     Oh!  how  they  wished 

To  fall  beneath  her  feet ! 

They  all  admired  her,  and  adored, 

Just  as  the  priest  adores  the  cross — 
'Twas  as  if  there  shono  a  star  of  light 
The  young  girl's  brow  across! 

Yet,  something  vexing  in  her  soul  begau  to  hover ; 
The  finest  flower  had  failed  her  in  this  day  of  honor. 

Pascal,  whom  all  the  world  esteemed, 
Pascal,  the  handsomest,  whose  voice  with  music  beamed, 


260  Jasmin. 

He  sbnnned  the  maitl,  cast  ne'er  a  loving  glance; 
Despised!     She  felt  hate  growing  in  her  heart, 

And  in  her  pretty  vengeance 
She  seized  the  moment  for  a  brilliant  dart 

Of  her  bright  ejes  to  chaiu  him. 
What  would  you  have?     A  girl  so  greatly  envied, 

She  might  become  a  flirt  conceited; 
Already  had  she  seemed  all  this, 
Self-glorious  she  was,  I  fear, 

Coquettiug  rarely  comes  amiss. 
Though  she  might  never  love,  with  many  lovers  near! 
Grandmother  often  said  to  her,  ''Child,  child!"  with  gen- 
tle frown, 
"A  meadow's  not  a  parlor,  and  the  country's  not  a  town, 
And  thou  knowest  well  that  we  have  promised  thee  lang  syne 
To  the  soldier-lad  Marcel,  who  is  lover  true  of  thine. 

So  curb  thy  flights,  thou  giddy  one. 
The  maid  Avho  covets  all,  in  the  end  mayhap  hath  none." 
"  Nay,  nay,"  replied  the  tricksy  fay. 
With  swift  caress  and  laughter  gay, 
"There  is  another  saw  well  known, 
Time  enough,  my  granny  dear,  to  love  some  later  day! 

*  She  wlio  hath  only  one,  hath  none  P  " 

Now,  such  a  flighty  course,  you  may  divine. 
Made  hosts  of  melancholy  swains, 
Who  sighed  and  suffered  jealous  pains, 
Yet  never  sang  reproachful  strains. 
Like  learned  lovers  when  they  pine. 

Who,  as  they  go  to  die,  their  woes  write  carefully 
On  willow  or  on  poplar-tree. 
Good  lack!  thou  couldst  not  shape  a  letter, 

And  the  silly  souls,  though  love-sick,  to  death  did  not  incline, 
Thinking  to  live  and  suffer  on  were  better! 
But  tools  were  handled  clumsily. 
And  vine-sprays  blew  abroad  at  will. 
And  trees  were  pruned  exceeding  ill, 
And  many  a  furrow  drawn  awry. 


Appendix.  261 

Metliiiiks  you  know  lier  now,  tliis  fair  and  foolish  girl; 
Watch  wliile  she  treads  one  measure,  then  see  her  dip  antl 
twirl! 

Young  Etioune  holds  her  hand  by  chance, 

'Tis  the  first  rigadoou  they  dance; 

With  parted  lips,  right  thirstily 

Each  rustic  tracks  them  as  they  fly, 
And  the  damsel  sly 
Feels  every  eye, 

And  lighter  moves  for  each  adoring  glance. 
Holy  cross!  what  a  sight!  when  the  madcap  rears  aright 
Her  shining  lizard's  head !  her  Spanish  foot  falls  light, 

Her  wasp-like  figure  sways 
And  swims  and  whirls  and  sjirings  again. 
The  wind  with  corner  of  her  kerchief  plays. 
Those  lovely  cheeks  whereon  the  youths  now  gaze. 
They  hunger  to  salute  with  kisses  twain  ! 

And  some  one  shall ;  for  hero  the  custom  is, 
Who  tires  his  partner  out,  salutes  her  with  a  kiss; 
The  girls  grow  weary  everywhere. 
Wherefore  already  Jean  and  Paul, 
Louis,  Guillaunie,  and  strong  Pierre, 
Have  breathless  yielded  up  their  place 
Without  the  coveted  embrace. 

Another  takes  his  place,  Marcel  the  wight, 
The  soldier  of  Montluc,  prodigious  iu  his  height, 
Arrayed  in  uniform,  bearing  his  sword, 
A  cockade  iu  his  cap,  the  emblem  of  his  lord. 
Straight  as  an  I,  though  bold  yet  not  well-bred, 
His  heart  was  soft,  but  thickish  was  his  head. 
He  blustered  much  and  boasted  more  and  more, 
Frolicked  and  vapored  as  ho  took  the  floor ; 
Indeed  ho  was  a  very  horrid  bore. 
Marcel,  most  mad  for  Franconnetto,  tortured  the  other  girls, 
Made  her  most  jealous,  yet  she  had  no  chance. 
The  swellcd-out  coxcomb  called  ou  her  to  dance. 


262  Jasmin, 

Bnt  Frauconnette  was  loath,  and  she  must  let  him  see  it ; 
He  felt  most  madly  jealous,  yet  was  maladroit, 
He  boasted  that  he  was  beloved;  perhaiis  he  did  believe 
it  quite — 

The  other  day,  in  such  a  place, 

She  shrank  from  his  embrace! 

The  crowd  now  watched  the  dancing  pair, 

And  marked  the  tricksy  witching  fair ; 

They  rush,  they  whirl !     But  what's  amiss  ? 

The  bouncing  soldier  lad,  I  wis. 

Can  never  snatcb  disputed  kiss! 
The  dancing  maid  at  first  smiles  at  her  self-styled  lover, 
"  Makes  eyes  "  at  him,  but  ne'er  a  word  does  utter ; 

She  only  leaped  the  faster! 
Marcel,  piqued  to  the  quick,  longed  to  subdue  this  creature, 
He  wished  to  show  before  the  crowd  what  love  he  bore 
her; 

One  open  kiss  were  sweeter  far 

Than  twenty  in  a  corner! 
But,  no!  his  legs  began  to  fail,  his  head  was  in  a  trance. 
He  reeled,  he  almost  fell,  he  could  no  longer  dance ; 

Now  ho  would  give  cockade,  sabre,  and  silver  lace. 

Would  it  were  gold  indeed,  for  her  embrace ! 

Yet  while  the  pair  were  still  afoot,  the  girl  looked  very 

gay- 
Resolved  never  to  give  way ! 
While  headstrong  Marcel,  breathless,  spent,  and  hot  in  face. 
He  reeled  and  all  but  fell;  then  to  the  next  gave  place! 
Forth  darted  Pascal  in  the  soldier's  stead, 
They  make  two  steps,  then  change,  and  Frauconnette, 
Weary  at  last,  with  laughing  grace, 

Her  foot  stayed  and  upraised  her  face ! 
Tarried  Pascal  that  kiss  to  set? 
Not  he,  be  sure  !  and  all  the  crowd 
His  vict'ry  hailed  with  plaudits  loud. 


Appendix.  263 

The  clapping  of  their  palms  like  battledoor  resounded, 
While  Pascal  stood  among  them  quite  confouuded ! 

Oil,   wluit    a   picture  for   the   soldier   who   so    loved    his 

queen  ! 
Ilim  the  kiss  maddened!     Measuring  Pascal  with  his  een, 
Ho  thundered,  "Peasant,  you  have  filled  my  place  most 

sly; 

Not  so  fast,  churl !" — and  brutally  let  fly 

With  aim  unerring  one  fierce  blow, 
Straiglit  ill  the  other's  eyes,  doubling  the  insult  so. 

Good  God!*  how  stings  the  madd'niug  pain, 
His  dearest  happiness  that  blow  must  stain, 

Kissing  and  boxing — glory,  shame  ! 
Light,  darkness !     Fire,  ice !     Life,  death !     Heaven,  hell ! 
All  this  was  to  our  Pascal's  soul  the  knell 
Of  hope!     But  to  bo  thus  tormented 
By  flagrant  insult,  as  the  soldier  meant  it; 
Now  without  fear  he  must  resent  it! 
It  does  not  need  to  be  a  soldier  nor  a  ''Monsieur," 

An  outrage  placidly  to  bear. 
Now  fiery  Pascal  let  fly  at  his  foe. 
Before  ho  could  turn  round,  a  stunning  blow ; 

*Twas  like  a  thunder  peal. 

And  made  the  soldier  reel; 

Trying  to  draw  his  sabre, 

But  Pascal,  seeming  bigger, 
Gripped  Marcel  by  the  waist,  and  sturdilj^ 

Lifted  him  up,  and  threw  his  surly 
Foe  on  the  ground,  breathless,  and  stunned  severely. 

"Now  then!"  while  Pascal  looked   on  the  hound  thrown 
by  him, 


♦  Jour  de  Dieu! 


264  Jasmin. 

*'Tlie  peasant  grants  thee  chance  of  living!" 
"  Despatch  him !"   cried  the  surging  crowd. 
"  Thou  art  all  cover'd  o'er  with  blood !" 

But  Pascal,  in  his  angry  fit  of  passion, 

Had  hurt  his  wrist  and  fist  in  a  most  serious  fashion. 

"No  matter!     All  the  same  I  i)ardou  him! 
You  must  have  pity  on  the  beaten  hound !" 
"  No,  finish  him  !    Into  morsels  cut  him  !" 
The  surging,  violent  crowd  now  cried  around. 
"  Back,  peasants,  back  !    Do  him  no  harm !" 
Sudden  exclaimed  a  Monsieur,  speakiug  with  alarm ; 
The  peasants  moved  aside,  and  then  gave  place 
To  Montluc,  glittering  with  golden  lace ; 
It  was  the  Baron  of  Roquefort ! 

The  frightened  girls,  like  hunted  hares. 

At  once  dispers'd,  flew  here  and  there. 
The  shepherds,  but  a  moment  after. 
With  thrilling  fife  and  beaming  laughter, 
The  brave  and  good  Pascal  attended  on  his  way. 
Unto  his  humble  home,  as  'twere  his  nuptial  day. 

But  Marcel,  furious,  mad  with  rage,  exclaimed, 
"Oh!  could  I  stab  and  kill  them!     But  I'm  maimed!" 
Only  a  gesture  of  his  lord 
Restrained  him,  hand  upon  his  sword. 
Then  did  he  grind  his  teeth,  as  he  lay  battered, 
And  in  a  low  and  broken  voice  he  muttered: 
"  They  love  each  other,  and  despise  my  kindness, 
She  favors  him,  and  she  admires  his  fondness; 

Ah,  well !  by  Marcel's  patron,  I'll  not  tarry 
To  make  them  smart,  and  Franconnette 
No  other  husband  than  myself  shall  marry. 


Appendix.  265 


Part  Second. 

The  Enamored  Blacksmith. — His  Fretful  Mother. — The  Busking 
Soiree. — Pascal's  Song. — The  Sorcerer  of  the  Black  Forest. — 
Tlie  Girl  Sold  to  the  Demon. 

Since  Roquefort  fete,  one,  two,  three  months  have  fled; 
The  dancing  frolic,  Avith  the  harvest  ended ; 

The  out-door  sports  are  banished — 
For  winter  comes*  the  air  is  sad  and  cold;  it  sighs 

Under  the  vaulted,  skies. 
At  fall  of  night,  none  risks  to  -walk  across  the  fields, 

For  each  one,  sad  and  cheerless,  beelds 

Before  the  great  fires  blazing, 

Or  talks  of  wolfish  fiends  *  amazing ; 
And  sorcerers — to  make  one  shudder  with  affright — 

That  walk  around  the  cots  so  wight, 
Or  'ueatli  the  gloomy  elms,  and  by  farm-yards  at  night. 

But  now  at  last  has  Christmas  come, 
And  little  Jack,  who  beats  the  drum. 
Cries  round  the  hamlet,  with  his  beaming  face : 
"Come,  briskeu  up,  you  maidens  fair, 
A  merry  busking  t  shall  take  i)lace 
On  Friday,  first  night  of  the  year !" 

*  Wehr-wolves,  wizard  wolves — loup-garoii.  Superstitions  re- 
specting tliem  are  known  in  Brittany  and  the  South  of  France. 

f  Miss  Harriet  W.  Preston,  in  her  article  on  Jasmin's  "Fran- 
connette"  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  for  February,  1876,  says  :  "The 
Ijtiscou,  or  busking,  was  a  kind  of  bee,  at  which  the  young  people 
assembled,  bringing  the  thread  of  their  late  spinning,  which  was 
divided  into  skeins  of  the  proper  size  by  a  broad  thin  plate  of  steel 
or  whalebone  called  a  bnsc.  The  same  thing,  under  precisely  the 
same  name,  figured  in  the  toilets  of  our  grandmothers,  and  hence, 
probably,  the  Scotch  use  of  the  verb  to  busk,  or  attire."  Jamieson 
{Scottish  Didionarii)  says  :  "  The  term  busk  is  employed  in  a  beau- 
tiful  proverb  whicii  is  very  commonly  used  in  Scotland,  'A  bonny 
bride  is  soon  busked.'  " 


266  Jasmin. 

All !  now  the  liappy  yoiitlis  aud  maidens  fair 
Proclaimed  the  drummer's  words,  so  bright  and  rare. 
The  news  was  carried  far  and  near 
Light  as  a  bird  most  fleet 
With  wings  to  carry  thoughts  so  sweet. 
The  sun,  with  beaming  rays,  had  scarcely  shono 
Ere  everywhere  the  joyous  news  had  flown ; 
At  every  fireside  they  were  known, 
By  every  hearth,  in  converse  keen, 
The  busking  was  the  theme. 

But  when  the  Friday  came,  a  frozen  dew  was  raining, 
And  by  a  fireless  forge  a  mother  sat  complaining : 
And  to  her  son,  who  sat  thereby. 
She  spoke  at  last  entreatiugly : 
"Hast  thou  forgot   the   summer  day,  my  boy,  when  thou 

didst  come 
All  bleeding  from  the  furious  fray,  to  the  sound   of  music 
home  ? 

How  I  have  suffered  for  your  sorrow. 
And  all  that  you  have  had  to  go  through. 
Long  have  I  troubled   for  your  arm !     For  mercy's  sake 
Oh!  go  not   forth   to-night!     I  dreamt  of  flowers  again, 
And    what   means   that,  Pascal,   but   so    much    tears   and 
I)ain !" 

'•  Now  art  thou  craven,  mother !  and   see'st  that   life's  all 

black, 
But  wherefore  tremble,  since  Marcel  has  gone,  and  comes 

not  back !" 

"  Oh  yet,  my  son,  do  you  take  heed,  I  pray  ! 

For   the  wizard   of  the    Black  Wood   is    roaming    round 

this  way ; 
The    same  who    wrought   such    havoc,  'twas   but    a   year 

agone, 
They  tell  me  one  was  seen  to  come  from  's  cave  at  dawn 


Appetidix,  267 

Bat  two  daj's  past — it  was  a  soldier;  now 
What  if  this  were  Marcel?     Ob,  my  cliikl,  do  take  caro! 
Each   mother  gives   her  charms   unto   her   son;    do   thou 
Take  miuo;  but  I  beseech,  go  not  forth  anywhere!" 

"Just  for  one  little  hour,  mine  eyes  to  set 

On  ray  friend  Thomjis,  whom  I'm  bound  to  meet !" 

"Thy  friend,  indeed!     Nay,  nay!    Thou  meanest  Fraucon- 

uette. 
Whom  thou  loves  dearly!     I  wish  thou'd  love  some  other 

maid! 

Oh  yes!     I  read  it  iu  thine  eyes! 
Though  thou    sing'st,   art  gay,   thy    secret   bravely    keep- 

That  I  may  not  be  sad,  yet  all  alone  thou'rt  weeping — 

My  head  aches  for  thy  misery ; 
Yet  leave  her,  for  thine  own  good,  my  dear  Pascal ; 
She  would  so  greatly  scorn   a  working  smith  like  thee. 

With  mother  old  in  penury; 

For  poor  we  are — thou  knowest  truly. 

"How   we    have   sold    and    sold    until    scarce    a    scythe 
remains. 

Oh,  dark  the  days  this  house  hast  seen 
Since,  Pascal,  thou  so  ill  hast  been  ; 
Now  thou  art   well,  arouse!   do  something  for  our  gaius! 
Or  rest  thee,  if  thou  wilt;  with  suffering  we  can  fight; 
But,  for  God's  love,  oh !  go  not  forth  to-night !" 

And  the  poor  mother,  quite  undone. 
Cried,  while  thus  pleading  with  her  son, 
Who,  leaning  on  his  blacksmith's  forge 
The  stifling  sob  quelled  in  his  gorge. 
"  'Tis  very  true,"  he  said,  "  that  wo  are  poor, 
But  had  I   that  forgot?  ...  I   go  to  work,  my  mother, 
now,  bo  sure!" 


20  8  Jasmin, 

No  sooner  said  than  done;  for  in  a  blink 

Was  beard  tbe  anvil's  clink, 
Tbe  sjiarks  flew  from  tbe  blacksmith's  fire 

Higher  and  still  higher  ! 
Tbe  forgeman  struck  tbe  molten  iron  dead, 
Hammer  in  hand,  as  if  be  had  a  hundred  in  hio  head! 


But  now,  the  Busking  was  apace. 
And  soon,  from  every  corner  place 
The  girls  came  with  the  skein  of  their  own  making 
To  wind  up  at  this  sweethearts'  merry  meeting. 


In  tlie  large  chamber,  where  they  sat  and  winded 

The  threads,  all  doubly  garnished, 
The  girls,  tbe  lads,  plied  bard  their  fingers. 

And  swiftly  "wound  together 

The  clews  of  linfc  so  fair. 

As  fine  as  any  hair. 


The    winding   now    was   done ;    and  the    white   wine  and 

rbymsters 
Came  forth  witb  rippling  glass  and  porringers, 

And  brought  their  vivid  vapors 

To  brighten  up  their  capers — 
Ah !  if  the  prettiest  were  the  best,  with  pride 

I  -would  my  Franconnette  describe. 
Though  queen  of  games,  she  was  the  last,  not  worst. 
It  is  not  that  she  reigned  at  present,  yet  was  first. 

"Hold!  bold!"  she  cried,  the  brown-haired  maid. 
Now  she  directed  them  from  side  to  side — 

Three  women  merged  in  one,  they  said — 
She  dances,  speaks,  sings,  all  bewitching. 
By  maiden's  wiles  she  was  so  rich  in; 


Appendix,  .209 

She  sings  Avitli  soul  of  turtle-dove, 

She  speaks  with  grace  angelic ; 
She  dances  on  the  wings  of  love — 
Sings,  speaks,  and  dances,  in  a  guise 
More  thau  enough  to  turn  the  head  most  wise! 

Her  triumph  is  complete;  all  eyes  are  fixed  upon  her. 
Though  her  adorers  are  hut  peasants; 
Her  eyes  are  heamiug, 
Blazing  and  sparkling. 
And  quite  howitchiug ; 
No   wonder   that  the   sweetheart  lads  are  ravished    with 
her! 

Theu  Thomas  rose  and,  on  the  coquette  fixing 
His  ardent  eyes,  though  hlushing, 
In  language  full  of  neatness. 
And  tones  of  lute-like  sweetness. 
This  song  hegau  to  sing: 


THE  SIREN    WITH  A  HEART  OF   ICK 

"  Oh,  tell  US,  charming  Siren, 

With  heart  of  ice  unmoved, 
When  shall  wo  hear  the  sound 
-Of  hells  that  ring  around, 

To  say  that  you  have  loved  ? 
Always  so  free  and  gay, 
Those  wings  of  dazzling  ray. 
Are  spread  to  every  air — 
And  all  your  favor  share ; 
Attracted  hy  their  light 
All  follow  in  your  flight. 
But  ah !  helieve  me,  'tis  not  bliss, 

Such  triumphs  do  hut  purchase  pain  ; 
What  is  it  to  bo  loved  like  this. 

To  lior  who  cannot  love  again? 


270  Jasmin. 


"  You've  seen  bow  full  of  joy 

We've  marked  the  sun  arise; 
Even  so  each  Sunday  morn 

When  you,  before  our  eyes, 

Bring  us  such  sweet  surprise. 
With  us  new  life  is  horn  : 
We  love  your  angel  face, 

Your  step  so  debonnaire, 
Your  mien  of  maiden  grace, 

Your  voice,  your  lips,  your  hair. 
Your  eyes  of  gentle  fire, 
All  these  we  now  admire ! 
But  ah!  believe  me,  'tis  not  bliss. 

Such  triumphs  do  but  purchase  pain: 
What  is  it  to  be  loved  like  this. 

To  her  who  cannot  love  again  ? 

"Alas!  our  groves  are  dull 

When  widowed  of  thy  sight, 
•And  neither  hedge  nor  field 
Their  i^erfume  seem  to  yield; 

The  blue  sky  is  not  bright; 
When  you  return  once  more, 

All  that  was  sad  is  gone, 
All  nature  you  restore. 

We  breathe  in  you  alone ; 
We  could  your  rosy  fingers  cover 
With  kisses  of  delight  all  over! 
But  ah  !  believe  me,  'tis  not  bliss, 

Such  triumphs  do  but  purchase  pain ; 
What  is  it  to  be  loved  like  this, 

To  her  who  cannot  love  again  ? 

"The  dove  you  lost  of  late, 

Might  warn  you  by  her  flight, 
She  sought  in  woods  her  mate, 
And  has  forgot  you  quite; 


Appendix,  271 

She  has  become  more  fair 
Siuco  love  baa  been  her  care. 
'Tis  love  makes  all  things  gay, 

Oh,  follow  where  she  leads — 
Wheu  beauteous  looks  decay, 

What  dreary  life  succeeds! 
And  ah !  believe  me,  perfect  bliss, 

A  joy,  where  peace  and  triumph  reign, 
Is  when  a  maiden,  loved  like  this, 

Has  learnt  'tis  sweet  to  love  again !" 

The  songster  finished,  and  the  ardent  crowd 
Of  listeners  clapx^ed  their  hands  in  praises  loud. 

"Oh  !  what  a  lovely  song!"  they  cried.    "  Wiio  is  the  poet  ?" 

"'Tis  Pascal,"  answered  Thomas,  "that  lias  made  it!" 

"  Bravo !     Long  live  Pascal !"  exclaimed  the  fervent  crowd. 

Nothing  said  Francounette;  but  she  rejoiced— was  proud — 
At  having  so  much  love  evoked. 
And  in  a  song  so  touching. 
Before  this  crowd  admiring. 

Then  she  became  more  serious  as  she  thought  of  Pascal ; 
"  How  brave  he  is !     'Tis  all  for  him ;   he  has  not  got  his 

equal ! 
How  he  paints  love!     All  praise  him  without  doubt; 
And  his  sweet  song  —  so  touching!"  for  now  by  heart  she 

knows  it. 
"  But  if  he  loves  at  last,  why  docs  ho  hide  away  f" 
Then  turning  suddenly,  she  says: 
"  Thomas,  he  is  not  here,  away  he  stays ; 
I  would  him  compliment;   can  he  not  come?" 
"Oh!  now  he  cannot;   but  remains  at  home." 

Then  spoke  the  jealous  Lawrence :  "  Pascal  knows 
He  cannot  any  other  songs  compose; 


272  Jasmin. 

Poor  fellow!    almost  ruined  quito  he  is; 
His  fiitlier's  most  iufirm — stretclied  out,  and  cannot  rise ; 
Tlie  baker  will  not  give  him  bread,  he  is  constrained  to 

debts." 

Then  Franconnette  grew  pale,  and  said:  "And  he  so  very 

good ! 
Poor  lad  !    how  much   he  suffers ;   and  now  ho  wants  his 

food !" 

"My  faith!"  said  Lawrence,  a  heart  of  goodness  aping, 

"They  say  that  now  he  goes  a-begging!" 
"You  lie!"  cried  Thomas,  "hold  thy  serpent's  tongue! 
Pascal,  'tis  true,  is  Avorking,  yet  with  harm, 
Since,  for  this  maiden,  he  has  suffered  in  his  arm  ; 
But  he  is  cured;   heed  not  this  spiteful  knave! 
He  works  now  all  alone,  for  he  is  strong  and  brave." 
If  some  one  on  the  girl  his  eyes  had  set. 
He  would  have  seen  tears  on  the  cheeks  of  Franconnette. 

"Let's  'Hunt  the  Slipper!'"  cried  the  maids; 

Round  a  wide  ring  they  sat,  the  jades. 

Slipper  M'as  hid  by  Franconnette, 
But  in  a  twinkle.  Marionette — 

"Lawrence,  hast  thou  my  slipper?"     "No,  demoiselle!" 

"Eise  then,  and  seek  it  now,  ah,  well!" 

Lawrence,  exulting  in  his  features. 
Said,  "  Franconnette,  hast  thou  my  slipper  ?" 
"No,  sir!"      "'Tis  false!"      It  was  beneath   her 
seat! 

"Thou  hast  it!     Rise!     Now  kiss  me  as  the  forfeit!" 

A  finch,  just  taken  in  a  net. 
First  tries  some  gaj)  to  11}^  at; 
So  Franconnette,  just  like  a  bird,  escaped 
With  Lawrence,  whom  she  hated ; 
Incensed,  he  turned  to  kiss  her; 


Appendix.  273 

He  swiftly  ran,  but  in  his  pursuit  wuini, 
The  momeut  slie  was  caught  he  stumbled, 
Slipped,  fell,  and  sudden  broke  his  arm. 


The  gloomy  night  was  now  far  spent; 
But  in  that  fright  of  frights,  quite  in  a  breath. 
The  house-door  creaked  and  ope'd !     Was  it  a  wraith? 

No  !   but  an  old  man  bearded  to  the  waist. 
And  now  there  stood  before  the  throng  the  Black  Wood  Ghaist! 
"Imprudent  youths!"  he  cried;  "I  come  from  gloomy  rocks 

up  yonder. 
Your  eyes  to  ope :   I'm  filled  with  wrath  and  wonder ! 

You  all  admire  this  Frauconnette ; 

Learn  who  she  is,  infatuate ! 

"  From  very  cradle  she's  all  evil ; 

Her  wretched  father,  miserable. 
Passed  to  the  Huguenots  and  sold  her  to  the  Devil; 

Her  mother  died  of  shame — 

And  thus  the  demon  plays  his  game. 

Now  he  has  bought  this  woman  base, 

Ho  tracks  her  in  her  hiding-place. 
Y'ou  see  how  ho  has  punished  Pascal  and  Lawrence 

Because  they  gave  her  light  embrace  ! 
Bo  warned  !     For  whoso  dares  this  maid  to  wed. 
Amid  the  brief  delight  of  their  first  nuptial  night. 

Will  sudden  hear  a  thunder-peal  o'er  head ! 

The  demon  cometh  in  his  might 

To  snatch  the  bride  away  in  fright. 

And  leave  the  ill-starred  bridegroom  dead !" 

The  Wizard  said  no  more ;   but  angry,  fiery  rays, 
From  scars  his  visage  bore,  seemed  suddenly  to  blaze. 

Four  times  he  turned  his  heel  upon, 
Then  bade  the  door  stand  wide,  or  ero  his  foot  he  stayed; 
With  one  long  creak  the  door  obeyed, 
And  lo!   the  boarded  ghaist  was  gone! 
12* 


274  Jasmin, 

He  left  great  horror  in  bis  wake !     None  stirred  in  all  tlio 
tbrong ; 

They  looked  nor  left  nor  right,  when  he  away  had 

gone, 
They  seemed  all  changed  to  stone — 
Only   the  stricken  maid  herself  stood  brave  against   her 

wrong ; 
And  in  the  hope  forlorn  that  all  might  pass  for  jest, 
With  tremnlous  smile,  half  bright,  half  pleading, 
She   swept  them  with    her   eyes,  and   two  steps  forward 
in-essed ; 

But  when  she  saw  them  all  receding. 
And  heard  them  cry  "Avaunt!"   tlien  did  she  know  her 
fate; 

Then  did  her  saddened  eyes  dilate 
With  speechless  terror  more  and  more. 
The  while  her  heart  beat  fast  and  loud, 
Till  with  a  cry  her  head  she  bowed 
And  sank  in  swoon  upon  the  Hoor. 
Such  was  the  close  of  Busking  night ; 
Though  it  began  so  gay  and  bright ; 
The  morrow  was  the  New-year's  Day, 
It  should  have  been  a  time  most  gay ; 
But  now  there  went  abroad  a  fearful  rumor — 

It  was  remembered  long  time  after 
In  every  house  and  cottage  home  throughout  the  land — 
Though  'twas  a  fiction  and  a  superstition — 
It  was,  "The  De'il's  abroad!     He's  now  a-roaming; 
How  dreadful!     He  is  now  for  lost  souls  seeking!" 

The  folks  were  roused  and  each  one  called  to  mind 
That  some,  in  times  of  yore,  had  heard  the  sound 

Of  Devil's  chains  that  clanked  ; 

How  soon  the  father  vanished. 

The  mother,  bent  in  agony, 
A  maniac  she  died  ! 


Appendix.  276 

That  then  all  smilod;   they  felt  nor  hurt  nor  harm, 
They  lived  quite  happy  on  their  cottage  farm, 
And  when  the  fields  were  spoiled  with  hail  or  rain, 
Their  ground  was  covered  o'er  with  plums  and  grain. 

It  was  enough  ;   the  girls  believed  it  all, 
Grandmothers,  mothers — thoughts  did  them  appall — 

Even  iuftints  trembled  at  the  Demon's  name; 
And  when  the  maiden  hung  her  head  in  pain, 
And  went  abroad,  they  scarce  would  give  her  passage ; 
They  called  to  her,  "  Away  !     Avaunt!  thou  imp  of  evil, 

Behold  the  crime  of  dcalinir  ^ith  the  Devil!" 


Part  Tuiud. 

The  Maid  at  Estanquet. — A  Bad  Dream. — The  Grandmother's 
Advice. —  Blessed  Bread, —  Satisfaction  and  Affection. —  First 
Thought  of  Love.— Sorrowfulness. — The  Virgin. 

Beside  a  cot  at  Estanquet, 
Down  by  a  leafy  brooklet. 
The  limpid  stream 
Enshadowed  sheen. 
Lapped  o'er  the  pebbles  murmuring. 
Last  summer  sat  a  maid,  with  gathered  llowers. 
She  was  engaged  in  setting. 
Within  her  grassy  bowers; 
She  sang  in  joy  her  notes  so  thrilling 
As  made  the  birds,  their  sweet  songs  trilling, 
Most  jealous. 

Why  does  she  siug  no  more  ?  midst  fields  and  hedge-rows 
verdant ; 

The  nightingales  that  came  within  her  garden, 
With  their  loud  "jug!  jug!"  warbling, 
And  their  sweet  quavers  singing; 

Can  she  have  left  her  cottage  homo  ? 


276  Jasmin. 

No !     There's  her  pretty  hat  of  straw 

Laid  on  the  bench ;  but  then  they  saw 
There  was  no  ribbon  round  it; 
The  garden  all  neglected: 

The  rake  and  wat'ring-pot  were  down 

Among  the  jonquils  overthrown  ; 
The  broken-branched  roses  running  riot ; 
The  dandelion,  groundsell,  all  about; 
And  the  nice  walks,  laid  out  with  so  much  taste, 
Now  cover'd  with  neglected  weeds  and  wanton  waste. 

Oh!  what  has  happened  here?    Where  is  the  lively  nuiid? 

The  little  birds  now  whispering  said ; 

Her  home  is  sparkling  there  beyond, 

With  tufted  branch  of  hazel  round ; 

Let's  jnst  peep  in,  the  door  is  open. 

We  make  no  noise,  but  let  us  listen. 
Ah  !  there's  grandmother,  on  her  arm-chair,  fast  asleep  I 

And  here,  beside  the  casement  deep, 
The  maid  of  Estanquet,  in  saddened  pain  and  grief, 

The  tears  down-falling  on  her  pretty  hand ; 
To  whom  no  joy  nor  hope  can  ever  give  relief! 

Ah!  yes,  'twas  dark  enough!  for  it  is  Franconnette, 
Already  you've  divined  it  is  our  pet ! 

And  see  her  now,  poor  maiden, 
Bending  beneath  the  falsest  blow,  o'erladen  ; 

She  sobs  and  Aveeps  alternately — 

Her  heart  is  rent  and  empty. 
Oft,  to  console  herself,  she  rises,  walks,  and  walks  again  ; 

Alas !  her  trouble  is  so  full  of  pain — 
Awake  or  sleeping — 

She's  only  soothed  by  weeping. 

Daughter  of  Huguenot  accursed. 

And  banished  from  the  Church ! 

Sold  to  the  Demon  ;  she's  forever  cursed ! 


Appendix.  211 

GraDiluiother,  waking,  said,  "Child, 'tis  uot  true; 

It  matters  not ;  'tis  but  thy  father  fled, 
No  one  can  contradict  that  raving  crew; 
They  know  uot  where  he  is,  and  conkl  they  see  him, 
They   avouUI   so   frightened    be,  they'd   not    believe    their 
een !" 

'*  How  changed  things  are,"  said  Frauconnette,  "  before  I 

was  so  happy ; 
Then  I  was  village  queen,  all  followed  love  in  harmony; 

And  all  the  lads,  to  please  me, 
Would  come   barefooted,  e'en    through   serpents'  nests,  to 
bless  me! 

But  now,  to  bo  dcsx)ised  and  curst, 

I,  who  was  once  the  very  first ! 
And  Pascal,  too,  whom  once  I  thought  the  best. 
In  all  my  misery  shuns  me  like  a  pest! 

Now  that  he  knows  my  very  sad  mishaps. 

He  ne'er  consoles  with  me  at  all — perhaps — " 

She  did  deceive  herself.     Her  grief  to-day  was  softened 
By  hearing  that  Pascal  'gainst  slanders  her  defended ; 

Such  magic  help,  it  was  a  balm 

Her  aching  soul  to  calm; 

And  then,  to  sweeten  all  her  ill. 
She  thought  always  of  Pascal — did  this  softened  girl. 

What  is  that  sound?     A  sudden  shriek! 
Grandmother  dreamt — she  was  now  wide  awake; 
The  girl  sprang  to  her;  she  said,  "Isn't  the  house  aflame? 
Ah!  'twas  a  dream!     Thank  God!"  her  murmur  came. 

"Dear  heart,"  the  girl  said,  softly ;  "what  was  this  dream 

of  thine  ?" 
"Oh,  love!  'twas  night,  and  loud,  ferocious  men  methought 
Game  lighting  fires  all  round  our  little  cot, 
And  thou  did'st  cry  unto  them,  daughter  mine. 


278  Jasmin, 

To  save  me,  but  did'st  vainly  strive, 

For  here  we  too  must  burn  alive! 
The  torment  that  I  bore !     How  shall  I  cure  my  fright  ? 
Come  hither,  darling,  let  me  hold  thee  tight !" 

Then  the  white-headed  dame,  in  withered  arms  of  love, 
With  yearning  tenderness  folded  the  brown -haired  girl, 
who  strove. 

By  many  a  smile,  and  mute  caress, 

To  hearten  her,  until  at  length 
The  aged  one  cried  out,  her  love  gave  vital  strength, 
"Sold  to  the  Demon,  thou?     It  is  a  hideous  lie! 
Therefore,  dear  child,  weep  not  so  jjiteously ; 
Take  courage !     Be  thou  brave  in  heart  once  more, 

Thou  art  more  lovely  than  before — 

Take  granny's  word  for  that !     Arise  ! 

Go  forth;  who  hides  from  envious  eyes 
Makes  wicked  people  spiteful;  I've  heard  this,  my  pet; 
I  know  full  well  there's  one  who  loves  thee  yet — 

Marcel  would  guard  thee  with  his  love; 

Thou  lik'st  not  him?     Ah!  could  he  move 

Thy  feelings,  he  Avould  shield  thee,  dear, 
And  claim  thee  for  his  own. 

But  I  am  all  too  feeble  grown ; 
Yet  stay,  my  darling,  stay!     To-morrow's  Easter  Djiy, 
Go  thou  to  mass,  and  pray  as  ne'er  before ! 
Then  take  the  blessed  bread,  if  so  the  good  God  may 
The  precious  favor  of  his  former  smile  restore. 

And  on  thy  sweet  face,  clear  as  day. 
Own  thou  art  numbered  with  his  children  evermore!" 

Then  such  a  gleam  of  hope  lit  the  old  face  again, 

Furrowed  so  deep  with  years  and  pain. 
That,  falling  on  her  neck,  the  maiden  promised  well, 
And  once  more  on  the  white  cot  silence  fell. 

When,  therefore,  on  the  morrow,  came  the  country-side, 
To  hear  the  hallelnjas  in  the  cliurch  of  Saint  Pierre; 


Appendix.  279 

Great  was  the  woiideniient  of  tLose  that  spied 
The  maiden,  Franconnctto,  silently  kneeling  there, 
Telling  her  beads  Avitli  downcast  eyes  of  i)rayer. 
She  ueeds,  poor  thing,  Pleaven's  mercy  to  implore, 

For  ne'er  a  woman's  will  she  win ! 

Bnt  then,  beholding  her  sweet  mien, 
Were  Marcel  and  Pascal,  eying  her  fondly  o'er; 
She  saw  them  with  her  glances,  dark  as  night, 
Then  shrinking  back,  they  left  her  all  alone, 
Midway  of  a  great  circle,  as  they  might 

Some  poor  condemned  one 
liearing  some  stigma  on  her  brow  in  sight. 

This  was  not  all,  poor  child!     It  was  well  known — 

The  warden,  uncle  to  Marcel, 

Carried  the  Blessed  Bread  ; 

And  like  a  councillor,  did  swell 

In  long-tailed  coat,  with  pomi)ous  tread  : 
But  when  the  trembling  maid,  making  a  cross,  essayed 
To  take  a  double  portion,  as  her  dear  old  grandame  bade. 

Right  in  the  view  of  every  eye. 
The  sacred  basket  he  withdrew,  and  passed  her  wholly  by ; 
And  so,  denied  her  portion  of  the  bread  whereby  wo  live. 

She,  on  glad  Easter,  doth  receive 

Dismissal  from  God's  house  for  aye. 

The  maid,  trembling  Nvith  fear,  thought  all  was  lost  indeed  ! 

But  no !  she  hath  a  friend  at  need ; 

'Twas  Pascal,  who  had  seen  her  all  the  while — 

Pascal,  whose  young  foot  walked  along  the  aisle ; 

He  made  the  quest,  and  nothing  loth. 

In  view  of  uncle  and  of  nephew  both. 

Doth  quietly  to  her  present, 
Upon  a  silver  plate,  with  flowers  fair  blossoming. 

The  crown-piece*  of  the  Holy  Sacrament — 
And  all  the  world  beholds  the  pious  offering. 

*  Miss  Preston  says  this  was  a  custom  which  prevailed  in  cer- 


280  Jasmin. 

Oh  !  raomeut  full  of  joy  ;  her  blood  sprang  iuto  fleet uess ; 

Warnitb  "was    in    all  lier  frame,  Ler  senses   tlirilled   witb 
sweetness ; 

She  saw  the  bread  of  God  arisen 

Out  of  its  earthly  prison, 

Thus  life  unto  ber  own  was  given : 

But  w^herefore  did  ber  brow  quite  blushing  grow  ? 

Because  the  angel  bright  of  love,  I  trow, 

Did  with  ber  glowing  breath  impart 

Life  to  the  flame  long  smouldering  in  ber  heart. 

It  did  become  a  something  strange,  and  passing  all  desire 
As  honey  sweet,  and  quick  as  tire 
Did  her  sad  soul  illuminate 
With  a  new  being ;  and,  though  late, 
She  knew  the  word  for  her  delight, 
The  fair  enigma  she  could  guess. 

People  and  priest  all  vanish'd  from  her  sight. 

She  saw  in  all  the  church  only  one  man  aright — 

He  whom  she  loved  at  last,  with  utmost  gratefulness. 

Then    from  Saint   Peter's   church  the  throng  widely   dis- 
persed, 
And  of  the  scandal  they  bad  seen  now  eagerly  conversed; 

But  lost  not  sight  of  her  at  all 
Who  bore  the  Bread  of  Honor  to  the  ancient  dame,  ere  this. 
She  sitteth  now  alone,  shut  in  her  chamber  small, 
While  Franconnette  beams  brightly  with  ber  new-found  bliss. 

On  the  parched  earth,  where  falls  the  earliest  dew, 
As  shines  the  suu's  first  rays,  the  winter  flown — 

So  love's  first  spark  awakes  to  life  anew. 

And  fills  the  startled  mind  with  joy  unknown. 

tain  parts  of  France.  It  was  carried  by  the  French  emigrants  to 
Canada,  where  it  flourished  in  recent  times.  Tlie  Sacramental 
Bread  was  crowned  by  one  or  more  frosted  or  otherwise  ornamented 
cakes,  which  were  reserved  for  the  family  of  the  Seigneur,  or  other 
communicants  of  distinction. 


Appendix,  281 

The  maiden  yielded  every  tlionglit  to  this— 
The  trembling  ccrtiiinty  of  real  bliss; 
The  lightning  of  a  joy  before  improved, 
Flashed  in  her  heart,  and  told  her  that  she  loved. 

She  fled  from  envy,  and  from  curious  eyes, 

And  dreamed,  as  all  have  done,  their  waking  dreams, 

Bidding  in  thought  bright  fairy  fabrics  rise 

To  shrine  the  loved  one  in  their  golden  gleams. 

Alas!  the  sage  is  right,  'tis  the  distrest 

Who  dream  the  fondest,  and  who  love  the  best. 

But  when  the  saddened  heart  controls  us  quite, 

It  quickly  turns  to  gall  the  sweets  of  our  delight. 

Then  she  remembered  all !  The  opening  heaven  turned  gray, 

Dread  thought  now  smites  her  heavily. 

Dreams  she  of  love  ?     Why,  what  is  she  ? 
Sweet  love  is  not  for  her !     The  dreaded  sorcerer 
Hath  said  she's  foresold  for  a  price — a  murderer! 
With  heart  of  dev'lish  wrath,  which  whoso  dares  to  brave 
To  lie  with  her  one  night,  therein  shall  find  his  grave. 

She,  to  see  Pascal  perish  at  her  side ! 

"O  God!  have  pity  on  me  now!"  she  cried. 

So,  rent  with  cruel  agonies. 
And  weeping  very  sore. 

Fell  the  poor  child  upon  her  knees. 
Her  little  shrine  before. 

"Oh,  Holy  Virgin!" — sighing — "on  thee  alone  relyiug, 

I  come;  I'm  all  astray!     Father  and  mother  too. 

Are  dead  lang  syne,  and  I  accnrsed !    All  tongues  are  cryiug 

This  hideous  tale!     Yet  save  me  ift  bo  true; 

If  they  have  falsely  sworn,  be  it  on  their  souls  borne 

When  I  shall  bring  ray  taper  on  the  fete-day  morn* 

*  At  Notre  Dame  du  Bon  Encoiitre,  a  church  in  the  suburbs  of 
Agen,  celebrated  for  its  legends,  its  miracles,  and  the  numerous 
pilgrimages,  which  are  usually  made  to  it  in  the  month  of  May. 


282  Jasmin. 

Oil!  blessed  Mother,  let  mo  see 
That  I  am  not  denied  of  thee !'' 

Brief  prayer, 
Though  'tis  sincere, 
To  Heaven  mounts  quickly, 
Sure  to  have  won  a  gracious  ear; 
The  maid  her  purpose  holds,  and  ponders  momently, 
And  oftentimes  grows  sick,  and  cannot  speak  for  fear, 
But  sometimes  taketli  heart,  and  sudden  hope  and  strong 
Shines  in  her  soul,  as  brightest  meteor  gleams  the  sky  along. 


Part   Fourth. 

The  Fete  at  Notre  Dame. — OfiFering  to  the  Virgin. — Thunderstroke 
and  Taper  Extinguished. — The  Storm  at  Roquefort. — Fire  at 
Estanquet. — Triumph  of  Pascal. — Fury  of  Marcel. — Power  of  a 
Mother. — Bad  Head  and  Good  Heart. — Conclusion, 

At  last,  behold  the  day  she  longed  for,  yet  so  fearfully, 

But  lo !  the  sun  rose  cheerfully ; 
And  long,  long  Hues  of  white-robed  village  girls, 
From  all  the  country  round,  walked  tow'rds  the  tiukling  bells, 
And  soon  proud  Notre  Dame  appeared  in  sight. 

As  'mid  a  cloud  of  perfume! 
'Twas  if  the  thirty  hamlets  in  their  might 

Were  piled  together  into  one. 

What  priests!     What  candles !     Crucifixes!    Garlands! 
What  Angels,*  and  what  banners ! 

You  see  there  Artigues,  Puymiral,  Astafort, 
Saint-Cirq,  Cardonnet,  Lusignau,  Brax,  Koquefort, 
But  this  year,  Roquefort  first,  o'erleapeth  all. 
What  crowds  there  are  of  curious  people, 

*  The  Angels  walked  in  processioji,  and  sang  the  "Angelas"  at 
the  appropriate  Hours. 


Appendix.  283 

,  To  watch  ibo  girl  sold  to  the  Devil! 

The  news  has  travelled  everywhere; 
They  knou-  that  she,  in  silent  i^rayer, 
Implores  the  Virgin  to  protect  her  there! 

Her  neighboi-s  scoff,  and  her  menace. 

But  saddened  friends  grieve  at  her  sore  disgrace, 

Love,  througli  their  heart,  in  fervor  rills. 

Each  one  respects  this  plaintivest  of  girls; 

And  many  a  pitying  sonl  a  prayer  said, 

That  some  great  miracle  might  yet  be  made 

In  favor  of  this  poor  and  suppliant  maid. 

She  saw,  rejoiced,  more  hope  with  her  abode; 

Though  voice  of  j)eoplo  is  the  voice  of  God  I 
Oh!  how  her  heart  beat  as  the  church  she  neared, 
'Twas  for  the  Virgin's  indulgence  she  cared. 

Mothers  with  heartaches;  young  unfortunates; 

The  orphan  girls;  the  women  without  mates; 

All  knelt  before,  with  tapers  waxen, 

The  image  of  the  Virgin ; 

And  there  the  aged  priest,  in  surplice  dressed, 
Placed  the  crosses  at  their  lips,  and  afterwards  them  blessed. 

No  sign  of  sorrow  did  on  any  suppliant  fall, 

But  with  their  happy  hearts,  their  ways  went  one  and  all, 

So  Frauconnetto  grew  happy,  too, 
And  most  because  Pascal  prayed  fervent  in  her  view; 
She  dared  t'  raise  her  eyes  to  the  holy  father's  face, 
It  seemed  to  her  that  love,  hymns,  lights,  and  the  incense 

United,  cried  out,  "  Grace  I" 
**  Grace,  grace  divine,"  she  sighed,  ''and  love!     Let  them 

be  mineT' 
Then  stretching  out  her    taper   lit,    and  followed  to  the 

shrine. 
Bearing  a  garland  in  her  hand;   and  all  about  her  strove 
To  give  a  place  to  her,  and  bade  her  forward  move. 


284  Jasmin. 

They  fixed  their  eyes  upon  the  sacred  priest  and  her, 
And  scarce  a  breath  was  drawn,  and  not  a  soul  did  stir; 
But  when  the  priest,  holding  the  image  of  redeeming  love, 
Had  laid  it   on   the    orphan's  lips;   before  her  kiss  was 

given, 
Burst  a  terrific  thunder-peal,  as  if 'twould  rend  the  heaven, 
Blowing  her  taper  out,  and  all  the  altar  lights  above. 

Oh,  what  is  this?     The  crashing  thunder! 
Her  prayer  denied,  the  lights  put  out ! 
Good  God !  she's  sold  indeed !     All,  all  is  true,  no  doubt. 
So  a  long  murmur  rose  of  horror  and  of  wonder ; 

For  while  the  maiden  breathlessly 
Cowering  like   some   lost   soul,   their   shuddering   glances 

under. 
Sudden   crept  forth,  all  shrunk   away,  and  let   her  pass 
them  by. 

Howbeit,  that  great  peal  was  the  opening  blow 
Of  a  wild  storm  and  terrible. 
That  straightway  ujion  Roquefort  fell. 
The  spire  of  Saint  Pierre*  lay  in  rnins  low. 
And,  smitten  by  the  sharp  scourge  of  the  hail. 
In  all  the  region  round,  men  could  but  weep  and  wail. 

The  Angel  bands  who  walked  that  day 

In  fair  procession,  hymns  to  sing. 
Turned  sorrowing,  all  save  one,  away, 
"  Ova  pro  nobis  "  chanting. 

Yet,  in  those  early  times,  though  not  as  now, 

The  angry  waves  to  clear. 
To  other  jealous  towns  could  Agen  show 
Great  bridges  three,  as  she  a  royal  city  were; 


*  The  ancient  parish  church  of  Roquefort,  whose  ruins  only  now 
remain.     See  text  for  the  effects  of  the  storm. 


Appendix.  285 

Then  sbe  had  only  barges  two,  by  poles  propelled  slow, 
That   waited  for  the  minstrels,  to  bear  them  to    Roque- 
fort, 
Whoso  villagers  heard  rumors  of  the  widespread  woe; 
Ere  landing,  they  wero  ranged  for  singing  on  the  shore. 

At  first  the  tale  but  half  they  heed. 

But  soon  they  see  in  very  deed. 
Vineyards  and  happy  fields  with  hopeless  ruin  smit; 

Then  each  let  fall  his  banner  fair, 

And  lamentations  infinite 

Rent  on  all  sides  the  evening  air, 
Till  o'er  the  swelling  throng  rose  deadly  clear  the  cry, 

"And   still  Ave   spare  this  Francouuette !"  Then 
suddenly. 

As  match  to  powder  laid,  the  words 
"  Set  her  on  fire !     That  daughter  of  the  Huguenot, 
Let's  burn  her  up,  and  let  her  ashes  rot." 

Then  violent  cries  -were  heard. 
Howls  of  "  Aye,  Aye,  the  wretch !      Now  let  her  meet  her 
fate! 

She  is  the  cause  of  all,  'tis  plain ! 

Once  she  has  made  us  desolate, 

But  she  sliall  never  curse  again !" 

And  now  the  crowd  grew  angrier,  wilder  too. 

"Hunt  her  off  face  of  earth !"  one  shouts  anew; 

"Hunt  hef  to   death!     'Tis    meet,"   a   thousand   tongues 
repeat, 

The  tempest  in  the  skies  cannot  with  this  compete. 
Oh,  then,  to  see  them  as  they  came, 
With  clinched  fists  and  eyes  aflame, 
Hell  did  indeed  its  demons  all  unchain. 

And  while  the  storm  recedes,  the  night  is  growing  clear, 
But  poison  shools  through  every  vein 
Of  the  possess'd  madmen  there. 

Thus  goaded  they  themselves  to  crime  ;  but  where  was  she, 
Unhappy  Franconnetto  f    To  her  own  cottage  driven— 


286  Jasmin. 

Worshippiug  her  one  relic,  sad  and  dreamily, 
And  whispered  to  the  withered  flowers  Pascal  had  loving 
given : 

"  Dear  uosegaj^,  when  I  saw  thee  first, 
Methought  thy  sweetness  was  divine, 
And  I  did  drink  it,  heart  athirst; 
But  now  thou  art  not  sweet  as  crsfc. 

Because  those  wicked  thoughts  of  mine 
Have  blighted  all  thy  heauty  rare; 
I'm  sold  to  powers  of  ill,  for   Heav'n  hath  spurned  my 

prayer ; 
My  love  is  deadly  love!     No  hope  on  earth  have  I! 
So,  treasure  of  my  heart,  flowers  of  the  meadow  fair, 
Because  I  hless  the  hand  that  gathered  thee,  good-bye ! 
Pascal  must  not  love  such  as  I ! 

He  must  th'  accursed  maid  forswear, 
Who  yet  to  God  for  him  doth  cry! 

In  wanton  merriment  last  year. 
Even  at  love  laughed  Franconnette ; 

Now  is  my  condemnation  clear, 
Now  Avhom  I  love,  I  must  forget; 
Sold  to  the  demon  at  my  birth ! 
My  God,  how  can  it  be  ?     Have  I  not  faith  in  Thee  ? 

Oh !  blessed  blossoms  of  the  earth, 
Let  me  drive  with  my  cross  the  evil  one  from  me ! 
And  thou,  my  mother,  in  the  star-lit  skies  above. 
And  thou,  my  guardian,  oh  !  mother  of  our  God, 
Pity  me:  For  I  bless  Pascal,  but  part  fi'om  him  I  love! 
Pity  the  maid  accursed,  by  the  rod 
Sore  smitten,  to  the  earth  down-trod, 
Help  mo,  thy  Heart  Divine  to  move!" 

"  Franconnette,    little    one,    what     means    thy    plaintive 

moan  ?" 
So  spake  the  hoary  dame.     "Didst  thou  not  smiling  say 
Our  Lady  did  receive  thy  offering  to-day? 
But  sure,  no  happy  heart  should  make  so  sad  a  groan. 


Appendix.  287 

Thou  bast  deceived  me?     Some  new  ill/'slio  said, 

"Hath  full'ii  upon  us!"     "Nay,  not  so;  be  comforted. 

I — I'm  quite  bappy !"     "  So  my  sweetest  deary, 

God  graut  that  some  good  respite  wo  may  have, 

For  your  sad  sorrow  diggeth  up  my  grave; 

And    this    bath    been    a   lonesome,    fearsome    day,    and 

weary; 
That  cruel  dream  of  fire  I  bad  some  time  ago, 
Howe'er  I  strove,  did  alwaj's  haunt  me  so! 
And  then,  thou  know'st  tbo  storm ;  oh,  I  was  terrified, 
So  that,  to-night,  my  dear,  I  shudder  in  my  fright!" 


Wbat  sudden  noise  is  this  outside? 

"Fire!     Fire!     Let's  burn  them  in  their  cot!" 
FLimes  shine  tlirough  all  the  shutters  wide. 
Then  Franconnette  springs  to  tbe  door-way  tremblingly, 
And,  gracious  Heaven !  what  doth  she  see  ? 

By  light  of  Imrning  reek, 

An  angry  people  huddled  tbick; 
She  bears  them  shout,  "  Now,  to  your  fate ! 

Spare  ne'er  tbe  young  one,  nor  the  old, 

Both  work  us  ruin  manifold. 
Sold  to  tbe  Demon,  wo  must  burn  you  straight !" 


Tbo  girl  fell  on  her  knees,  before  the  face 

Of  that  most  furious  populace. 

She    cried,    "Grandmother     will    j-ou     kill?      Ob,    pity! 

grace !" 
'Twas  of  no  use ;  tbe  wretches,  blind  with  fury. 
In  viewing  her  bareheaded,  in  tbeir  hurry. 
Saw  but  a  cursed  Icman, 
Sold  bodily  to  tbo  Demon. 
Tbe  fiercest  cried  "Avaunt!" 
While  tbo  more  savage  forward  spring, 

And  on  tho  door  tbeir  feet  they  plant, 
With  fiery  brand  in  their  hand  brandishing. 


288  Jasmin. 

"Jlold,  I  implore  you!"  cried  a  voice  before  uubeard; 
And  sudden    leapt  before  the  crowd  like  lightning  with 
the  word, 

A  man  of  stately  strength  and  tall, 

It  was  the  noble,  brave  Pascal! 

"Cowards!"  he  cried.     "What — will  you  murder  women 
then, 
And  burn   their  cot  ?     Children  of  God !     Are  you  the    ^ 
same? 
Tigers  yon  are,  and  cannot  then  be  men ; 

And  after  all  that  they  have  suffered !     Shame ! 
Fall  back  !     Fall  back,  I  say ;  the  walls  are  growing  hot !" 

"Then  let  her  leave  us  quite,  this  wretched  Huguenot, 
For  she  was  long  since  by  the  Devil  bought; 
God  smites  us  'cause  we  did  not  drive  her  forth  before." 
"Quick!  quick!"  cried  Pascal,  "living  they  will  burn! 
Ye  dogs,  who  moved  ye  to  this  awful  crime?" 
"'Twas  Marcel/'  they  replied.      "See,  iiow  he  comes    in 
time !" 

"  You  lie !"  the  soldier  thundered  in  his  turn  j 
"  I  love  her,  boaster,  more  than  thou !" 

Said  Pascal,  "  How  wilt  prove  thy  love,  thou  of  the  ten- 
der heart?" 

"I  come,"  tlio  other  said,  "to  save  her.  I  come  to  take 
her  part. 

I  come,  if  so  she  will,  to  wxd  her,  even  now." 

"And  so  am  I,"  replied  Pascal,  and  steadfastly 
Before  his  rival's  eyes,  as  bound  hy  some  great  spell. 
Then  to  the  orphan  girl  turned  he, 
With  worship  all  unspeakable. 
"Answer  me,  Franconnette,  and  speak  the  truth  alone; 
Tliou'st  followed  by  the  wicked  with  spite  and  scorn,  my 
own  ; 


Appe7idix.  289 

Kilt  wc  two  love  tlicc  well,  aiul  ready  are  to  bravo 
Death !     Yes,  or  hell,  thy  precious  life  to  save. 
Choose  whicli   of  us   thou   wilt!"     "Nay,"   she  lamented 
sore, 

"Dearest,  mine  is  a  love  that  slays! 
Be  happy,  then,  without  me!     Forget  me  !     Go  thy  ways!" 

"Happy  without  thee,  dear!     That  can  I  never  more; 

Nay ;  were  it  true,  as  lying  rumor  says. 
An  evil  spirit  ruled  you  o'er, 

I'd  rather  die  with  you  than  live  bereaved  days!" 

When  life  is  at  its  bitterest, 
The  voice  of  love  aye  rules  us  best. 
Instantly  rose  the  girl  above  her  mortal  dread. 
And  on  the  crowd  advancing  straight, 
"  Because  I  love  Pascal,  alone  I'd  meet  my  fate. 
Ilowbeit  his  will  is  law,"  she  said, 
"Wherefore  together  let  our  souls  be  sped." 
Then  was  Pascal  in  heav'n,  and  Marcel  in  the  dust  laid 

low; 
Then  Pascal  sought  his  gallant  rival,  saying, 
"I  am  more  blest  than  thou.     Forgive.     Thou'rt  brave,  I 

know. 
Some  squire*  should  follow  me  to  death ;  then  wilt  thou 
not 

*  Donnzel  is  the  word  used  by  Jasmin.  Miss  II.  W.  Preston 
says  of  this  passage:  "There  is  something  essentially  knightly 
in  Pascal's  cast  of  character,  and  it  is  singular  that,  at  the  su- 
preme crisis  of  his  fate,  he  assumes,  as  if  unconsciously,  the  very 
phraseology  of  chivalry.  'Some  squire  {dounzel)  should  follow 
me  to  death,'  etc.,  and  we  find  it  altogether  natural  and  burning 
in  the  high-hearted  smith.  There  are  many  places  where  Jasmin 
addresses  his  hearers  directly  as  '  Messieurs,'  where  the  context 
also  makes  it  evident  that  the  word  is  emphatic,  that  he  is  distinct- 
ly conscious  of  addressing  those  who  arc  above  him  in  rank,  and 
that  the  proper  translation  is  '  gentles,'  or  even  '  masters  ;*  yet  no 
poet  ever  lived  who  was  less  of  a  sycophant." 
13 


290  Jasmin. 

Serve    me?     I   have   no    otber   friend!"     Marcel  seemed 

dreaming; 
And  now  lie  scowled  with  wrath,  and  now  his  eyes  were 

kindling ; 
Terrible  was  the  battle  in  his  mind; 
Till  his  eye  fell  on  Francounette,  serene  and  beaming, 
But  with  no  word  for  liim;  then  pale,  but  smilingly, 
"Because  it  is  her  will,"  he  said,  ''I  follow  thee." 

Two  weeks  had  passed  away,  and  a  strange  nuptial  train 
Adown  the  verdant  hill  went  slowly  to  the  plaiu ; 
First  came  the  comely  pair  we  know,  in  all  their  bloom. 
While  gathered  far  and  wide,  three  deep  on  either  side, 

The  ever-curious  rustics  hied, 

Shudd'ring  at  heart  o'er  Pascal's  doom. 
Marcel  conducts  their  march,  but  pleasure  kindly  true 
Glows  not  upon  th'  unmoving  face  he  lifts  to  view. 
And  something  glances  from  his  eye, 
That  makes  men  shudder  as  they  pass  him  by ; 

Yet  verily  his  mien  triumphant  is,  at  least 

Sole  master  is  he  of  this  feast. 

And  gives  his  rival,  for  bouquet, 

A  supper  and  a  ball  to-day. 

But  at  the  dance  and  at  the  board 

Alike,  scarce  one  essayed  a  word ; 

None  sung  a  song,  none  raised  a  jest. 

For  dark  forebodings  every  one  oppressed. 

And  the  betrothed,  by  love's  deep  rapture  fascinated, 
Silent  and  sweet,  though  near  the  fate  she  sad  awaited, 
No    sound    their  dream   dispelled,  yet   hand   in  hand  did 

press, 
Their  eyes  looked  ever  in  a  visioned  happiness; 
And  so,  at  last,  the  evening  fell. 

But  one  affrighted  woman  straightway  broke  the  spell; 
She  fell  on  Pascal's  neck,  and  "Fly,  my  son!"  she  cried. 
"I  from  the  sorcerer  come!     Fly,  fly  from  thy  false  bride! 


Appendix,  291 

Tbo  fatal  sieve  *  hath  turned ;  thy  death  decree  is  spoken ! 
There's  sulphur  furae   in  bridal   room,  and  by  the   same 

dread  token, 
Enter  it  not ;    for  if  thou   liv'st   thou'rt   lost/'  she  sadly 

said ; 
''And  what  were  life  to  mc,  my  son,  if  thou  wert  dead?'* 

Then  Pascal  felt  his  eyes  were  wet. 
And  turned  away,  striving  to  hide  his  face ;  whereon 
The  mother  shrieked,  "Ingrate!  but  I  will  save  thee  yet. 
Thou  wilt  not  dare!" — falling  before  her  stricken  son. 
"Thou  shalt  now  o'er  my  body  pass,  even  as  thou  goest 

forth ! 
A  wife,  it  seems,  is  all;  and  mother  nothing  worth! 
Unhappy  that  I  am!"     The  crowd,  alas!  their  heavy  tears 

ran  down! 

"  Marcel,"  the  bridegroom  said,  "  her  grief  is  my  despair ; 
But  love,  thou  knowest,  's  stronger  yet;  indeed  'tis  time 

to  go! 
Only,  should  I  perish,  let  my  mother  be  thy  care." 

"  I  can  no  more,"  cried  Marcel,  ^'  thy  mother's  conquered 

here." 
And  then  the  valiant  soldier  from  his  eyelids  brushed  a 
tear. 

"Take  courage,  Pascal,  friend  of  mine 
Thy  Franconnetto  is  good  and  pure. 

That  hideous  tale  was  told,  of  dark  design ; 
But  give  thy  mother  thanks;  but  for  her  coming,  sure 

This  night  might  yet  have  seen  my  death  and  thine." 
"What  say'st  thouT"  "Hush!  uow  I  will  tell  thee  all; 
Thou  knowest  that  I  loved  this  maid,  Pascal. 

*  IjOU  sedan  (the  sieve)  is  made  of  ra^v  silk,  and  is  used  for  sift- 
ing flour.  It  has  also  a  singular  use  in  necromancy.  When  one 
desires  to  know  the  name  of  the  doer  of  an  act — a  tiieft,  for  in- 
stance— tlic  sieve  is  made  to  revolve,  but  woe  to  him  whose  name 
is  Fpokcn  just  as  tlie  sieve  stops ! 


292  Jasmin. 

For  lier,  like  thee,  I  would  have  shed  my  blood; 
I  dreamt   that  I  was   loved   again ;  she  held   me   in    her 
thrall. 

Albeit  my  prayer  was  aye  withstood; 
Her  elders  promised  her  to  me ; 
And  so,  when  other  suitors  barr'd  my  way,  in  spite, 
Saying,  in  love  or  war,  one  may  use  strategy, 

I  gave  the  Wizard  gold,  my  rival  to  affright. 
Therefore,  my  chance  did  everything,  insomuch  that  I  said, 

My  treasure  is  already  won  and  made. 
But  when,   in    the   same   breath,  we  two   our   suit   made 
known. 

And  when  I  saw  her,  without  turn  of  head. 
Choose  thee,  to  my  despair,  it  was  not  to  be  borne. 
And  then  I  vow'd  her  death  and  thine,  before  the  morrow 

morn ! 
I  thought  to  lead  you  forth  to  the  bridal  bower  ere  long. 
And  then,  the  bed  beside  which  I  had  mined  with  care. 
That  they  might  say  no  prince  or  power  of  th'  air 
Is  here.     That  I  might  burn  you  for  my  wrong; 
Aye,  cross  yourselves,  thought  I,  for  you  shall  surely  die! 
But  thy  mother,  with  her  tears,  has  made  my  vengeauce 

fly. 

I  thought  of  my  own,  Pascal,  who  died  so  long  ago. 
Care  thou  for  thine!     And  now  fear  nought  from  me,  I 

trow, 
Eden  is  coming  down  to  earth  for  thee,  no  doubt, 
But  I,  whom  henceforth  men  can  only  hate  and  flout, 
Will  to  the  wars  away!     For  in  me  something  saith 

I  may  recover  from  my  rout, 
Better  than  by  a  crime !     Aye,  by  a  soldier's  death !" 

Thus    saying,  Marcel   vanished,  loudly   cheered    on    every 

side; 
And  then  with  deepening  blushes  the  twain  each  other 

eyed. 
For  now, the  morning  stars  in  the  dark  heavens  shone; 


Appendix.  293 

But  now  I  lift  my  x^encil  8nddciily. 
Colors  for  strife  and  pain  have  I, 
But  for  such  perfect  rapture — none ! 

And  so  the  morning  came,  with  softly-dawning  light, 
No  sound,  no  stir  as  yet  within  the  cottage  white, 
At  Estanquet  the  people  of  the  hamlets  gathered  were, 
To  wait  the  waking  of  the  happy  married  pair. 
Marcel  had  frankly  told  th'  unhappy  truth  ;  nathless, 

The  Devil  had  an  awful  i>ower. 

And  ignorance  was  still  his  dower. 
Some  feared  for  bride  and  bridegroom  yet;  and  guess 
At  strange  mischance.     **  In  the  night  cries  were  heard," 
Others  had  seen  some  shadows  oil  the  wall,  in  wondrous  ways. 

Lives  Pascal  yet?     None  dares  to  dress 
The  spicy  broth,*  to  leave  beside  the  nuptial  door, 

And  so  another  hour  goes  o'er. 
Then  floats  a  lovely  strain  of  music  overhead, 

A  sweet  refrain  oft  heard  before, 
'Tis  the  aoubadoi  offered  to  the  newly-wed. 

So  the  door  opes  at  last,  and  the  young  pair  was  seen, 
She  blushed  before  tbo  folk,  but  friendly  hand  and  mien, 

The  fragments  of  her  garter  gives, 

And  every  woman  two  receives  ; 
Then  winks  and  words  of  ruth  from  eye  and  lip  are  passed. 
And  luck  of  proud  Pascal  makes  envious  all  at  last, 
For  the  poor  lads,  whose  hearts  are  healed  but  slightly. 

Of  their  first  fervent  pain. 
When  they  see  Franconnette,  blossoming  rose-light  brightly, 

All  dewy  fresh,  so  sweet  and  sightly. 
They  cry  aloud,  "We'll  ne'er  believe  a  Sorcerer  again!" 

*An  ancient  practice.  Zow  Ihurrin  noubial^  a  highly  -  spiced 
onion  soup,  was  carried  by  the  wedding  guests  to  the  bridegroom  at 
a  late  liour  of  the  night. 

f  The  aoubado — a  song  of  early  morning,  corresponding  to  tlie 
serenade  or  evening  song. 


INDEX 


Academy,  French,  and  Jasmin, 

120,  192, 193. 
Agen,    description    of,    1,    163; 

fairs  of,  8 ;   bridges  of,  lOG ; 

Jasmin  crowned  by,  208,  209, 

229. 
Agricultural  Colonv,  Veday,  153. 
Albi,  212. 

Ampere  on  Jasmin,  125. 
Ancelo,  and  Academy,  194. 
Angouleme,  Jasmin  at,  186. 
Apollo  and  Jasmin,  29,  30. 
Appendix  of  Translations,  235. 
Arcachon,  190,  191,213. 
Arkwright,  barber,  22. 
Arts  and  Literature,  153. 
AthencBum  on  Jasmin,  131,  132. 
Auch,  Jasmin  at,  154, 
Augustin   Thierry,  and  Jasmin, 

121;  Thierry's  life,  121. 
Aurillac,  Jasmin  at,  218. 

Barber,  importance  of,  22. 
Barbers  and  literature,  22. 
Barbges,  214. 

Barth^lemy,  Marquise  de,  195. 
Basque  language,  41. 
BMze,  M.,  62,  200-202. 
Boranger  and  Jasmin,  65. 
Bergerac,  182. 
Biarritz,  191. 

"Bigno,  Ma,"  163-165,  174. 
"  Blind  Girl  of  Castel-Cuilld,"  67 ; 
recited  before  Thierry,  124. 


Boe,  grandfather^  4-6 ;  death  of, 

11. 
Boe,  Sister,  12. 
Boileau's  "  Lutrin,"  49. 
Bordeaux,  visit  to,  71 ;  Fetes  at, 

74,150;  Cr6cheat,  187,213. 
Brittany,  dialect  of,  39,  41. 

Carcassonne,  Jasmin  at,  149. 
Carnival  at  Agen,  13. 
Castera,  213. 
Charivari,  the,  4,  5,  48. 
Chateaubriand,  129,  160. 
Church  of  Vergt,  179,  180,  182- 

185,  190,  191,  203. 
"  Cinderella  "  at  Agen,  23. 
Claret  and  Olives,  Reach's,  140. 
Comedians  helped,  191,  192. 
Composition,  Jasmin's   slowness 

in,  166,  173. 
Condon,  Jasmin  at,  171. 
Costello,  Miss,  and  Jasmin,  132- 

137. 
"Crown  of  my  Birthplace,"  211. 
"Curl-Papers,"  Jasmin's,  49,  57, 

163,  177,  196. 

Dax,  Jasmin  at,  171. 
De  Mazade,  63,  127. 
De  Pontmartin,  64. 
Deputations  to  Jasmin,  184. 
Devonshire,  Charivaris  in,  6. 
Dickens  in  England,  83. 
Donis,  Abbe,  227. 


290 


Index. 


Donnct,  Cardinal,  232. 
Dubray's  Statue  of  Jasmin,  227. 
Dumon,  on  Gascon,  90. 

Emperor  Napoleon  III.,  200. 
English  language,  89  ;  Critics  on 

Jasmin,  131. 
Estanquet,  96,  103. 
Estellac,  Montluc's  Castle,  96. 
Eugenie,  Empress,  201. 

Fagots,  on  the  Garonne,  T. 

Famines  in  France,  82,  149  ;  Jas- 
min's last  philanthrophic  jour- 
ney, 219. 

Father,  Jasmin's,  4,  5,  12,  115. 

Florian's  works,  20. 

Foy,  ode  on  General,  49. 

Franciman,  Lou,  42. 

*'  Franconnette,"  95-9Y,  100 ;  the 
Buscou,  98;  the  Sorcerer,  102; 
condemned  to  be  burned  alive, 
107;  delivery  and  marriage, 
107 ;  translation,  256-293. 

Franks  and  Frankish  language, 
39,  40. 

Fullerton,  Lady  G.,  translation  of 
"BlindGirl,"3,  67,  68. 

Gaelic  or  Celtic,  39,  41, 
Garonne,  The,  1,  6,  7,  163. 
Gasc,  Mademoiselle,  114,  115. 
Gascon  dialect,  36-38,  44,  46, 48, 

56 ;  Jasmin's  defence  of ,92,237. 
"Gascon   poet.  Shepherd    and," 

150,151. 
Gauls  or  Galatians,  41-43. 
Gers,  Jasmin  at,  171. 
Godolin's  poems,  54. 
Gousset,  Cardinal,  182. 
Gravier,  Promenade  du,  4,  26,  34, 

93,  167. 

Hallam  on  Troubadours,  38. 
Henry  IV.,  45,  46,  51. 
Hermitage,  Agen,  1,  163. 


House-maid  at  Seminary,  13,  14. 
Hugo,  Victor,  188,  229.  ' 
Huguenots  and  Catholics,  95. 

Instinct  in  poetry,  20,  21. 

Janin,  Jules,  at  Paris,  119. 

Jasmin,  Jacques,  birth  of,  3,  4 ; 
birthplace,  4,  5 ;  mother  of, 
4,  6,  16,  115;  boyhood  of, 
7;  playfellows,  8;  school,  10; 
education,  12;  Seminary,  Rue 
Montesquieu,  13;  naughty  trick 
on  house-maid,  13,  14 ;  impris- 
oned, 14;  expelled,  15;  appren- 
ticed to  barber  and  hair-dress- 
er, 19;  his  garret  under  the 
tiles,  19;  Florian's  FaUes^  20, 
21 ;  first  rhyming  efforts,  20 ; 
barbers  and  poetry,  22 ;  first 
visit  to  theatre,  23 ;  recites 
verses,  24,  25  ;  begins  business 
for  himself,  25  ;  marries  Mari- 
ette  Barr5re,  28  ;  Mariette  and 
rhyming,  30;  visit  of  Charles 
Nodier,  31 ;  Jasmin's  coup 
d'etat^  34;  prosperity,  34,  35; 
studies  Gascon,  37, 44 ;  Unedu- 
cated Poets,  44 ;  first  poems  in 
Gascon,  46  ;  publishes  "  Curl- 
Papers,"  49 ;  "  Third  of  May," 
51,53,60;  correspondence  with 
Beranger,55;  "Souvenirs,"  58; 
truthfulness  of,  58 ;  publishes 
second  volume  of  "Curl -Pa- 
pers," 62 ;  visit  of  Paul  de 
Musset,  64;  "  Blind  Girl  of  Cas- 
tel-Cuille,"  67  ;  recited  at  Bor- 
deaux, 73 ;  Jasmin  and  his 
wife,  76 ;  his  eloquence,  79 ; 
as  philanthropist,  81  ;  mission 
for  relief  of  poor,  82  ;  famine 
in  Lot- et- Garonne,  84;  poem 
on  "  Charity,"  84 ;  at  Tonneins, 
85,  86  ;  Jasmin's  reception,  87; 
Jasmin's  defence   of  Gascon, 


Index. 


297 


92  ;  Jasmin  and  Dante,  94,  95 ; 
"  Franconnctte,"  95,  96  ;  dedi- 
cated to  Toulouse,  95;  reci- 
tation there,  109 ;  reception, 
111;  his  testimonial,  1 1 3, 1 14 ; 
death  of  his  mother,!  15;  "Yes- 
terday and  To-day,"  115 ;  char- 
itable missions,  115;  visits 
Paris,  117;  banquets,  119;  at 
Augustin  Thierry's,  121,  124; 
at  Louis  Philippe's,  Neuilly, 
127;  barbers  of  Paris,  128; 
Chateaubriand,  129  ;  Miss  Cos- 
tello's  interview,  132,  133;  re- 
ceives a  pension,  136,  167; 
Angus  B.  Reach's  interview, 
140 ;  Jasmin's  conversation, 
143  ;  more  charitable  missions, 
149;  engagements,  152,  153; 
Society  of  Arts  and  Literature, 
153;  shaves  the  Mayor  of  Auch, 
155  ;  the  millionaire,  155, 156; 
helps  Mademoiselle  Koaldes, 
156, 157  ;  Jasmin  and  Reboul, 
159;  buys  a  vineyard,  163; 
second  volume  of  "Curl -Pa- 
pers," 166 ;  made  Chevalier  of 
Legion  of  llonor,  167;  Clieva- 
lier  of  St.  Gregory  the  Great, 
168;  "Martha  the  Innocent," 
168;  Peyrottes's  challenge  de- 
clined, 172  ;  "  La  Semaine  d'un 
Fils,"  174 ;  letter  from  Laraar- 
tine,  176;  third  volume  of 
"Curl -Papers,"  177;  helps  to 
rebuild  a  church,  180  its  con- 
secration, 182;  philanthropic 
missions,  185;  declines  to  be 
Deputy,  188, 189;  at  Arcachon, 
190,  191,  213;  the  French 
Academy,  192;  prize  of,  194; 
another  visit  to  Paris,  195; 
fetes,  195 ;  at  Marquise  de 
Barthelemy,  195;  at  French 
Academy,  198;  visit  to  I^tiis 
Napoleon,  Emperor,  201  ;  lib- 


eration of  M.  Baze,  201,  202; 
enrolled  Maitre-^s-jeux,  205; 
crowned  by  Agen,  209 ;  last 
mission  of  charity,  Albi,  Cas- 
t6ra,  Bordeaux,  Bareges,  Saint- 
Flour,  Toulouse,  Villeneuve- 
sur-Lot,  212-220 ;  correspond- 
ence of,  215;  expenses  of 
journeys,  216;  last  mission  at 
Villeneuve-sur-Lot,  219;  ill- 
ness, 221;  last  poem  to  Kenan, 
221 ;  death  of  Jasmin,  223 ; 
funeral,  223 ;  bronze  statue, 
226  ;  character  of  Jasmin,  227. 

Lacepede,  Count  de,  2. 
Lafarge,  Madame,  160. 
Lamartine  to  Jasmin,  176;  depu- 
ty, 188,  189. 
Languages  of  Western  Europe, 

39. 
Langue  d'Oc  and  langue  d'Oi'I, 

38. 
Laurcntie,  Mr.,  on  Jasmin,  199. 
Lavei-gne  on  languages,  43,  44 ; 

on  "  Franconnette,"  112,  113; 

on  Jasmin,  139,  140. 
Longfellow's  translation  of 

"Blind  Girl,"  8,67,68. 
Louis  Philippe   at  Neuilly,  127; 

fall  of,  187. 
Louis  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  187, 

200. 

"Ma  Bigxo,"163,  164,  252. 

Maitre-6s-jeux,  Toulouse,  205. 

Marcel,  soldier  (in  "  Francon- 
nette"), 96,  107. 

Mariette (Jasmin's  wire),27;  visit- 
ed by  Nodier,  ol ;  reconciled  to 
poetry,  34;  Jasmin's  descrip- 
tion of,  76. 

Marot,  poet,  46,  51. 

Marriage,  Jasmin's,  28. 

Marseilles,  Jasmin  at,  154,  158. 

"  Martha  the  Innocent,"  168. 


298 


Index. 


"Mason's  Son,  the,"  (La  Sem- 
mano  d'un  Fil),  174,  242. 

Masson,  Abbe,  178, 185, 190, 203, 
227. 

Mazade,  Charles  de,  63,  127. 

"MeCalMoun,"46,  133. 

Mezzofanti  on  languages,  43. 

Millionaire,  Jasmin  refuses  to 
shave  the,  155,  156. 

Minier,  M.,  Bordeaux,  56. 

xAIiraben,  Abbe,  17. 

Missions  of  philanthropy,  81, 115, 
141,  H9,  172,  J  79,  'l80,  184, 
185,212,217,219,220. 

Mistral,  Proven9al  poet,  227. 

Montignac,  Jasmin  at,  181,  213. 

Montluc,  Blaise  de,  195,  196. 

Montyon's  prize,  193. 

Mother,  Jasmin's,  4, 6,16,114,115. 

Musset,  Paul  de,  visit  to  Jasmin, 
64. 

Narbonne,  comedians  at,  191. 

Xeuilly,  Jasmin  at,  127. 

Xodier,  Charles,  31,  50,  60,  63, 64, 
113,119. 

Nontron,  Jasmin  at,  182. 

Norsemen,  The,  40. 

Notre-Dame,  Encontre,  105. 

Noubel,  M.,  on  Jasmin,  209  ;  at 
Jasmin's  funeral,  224  ;  at  Jas- 
min's statue,  227. 

Orleans,  Duchess   of,  120,  127, 

136, 167. 
Orphanage  at  Bordeaux,  150. 

Palissy,  Bernard,  2. 
Fa^dllotos,  49,57,  163,  177. 
Paris,  Jasmin  visits,   117,  130, 

195,201. 
Pascal  ("  Franconnette  "),  96-99, 

103-105,  107,  108,  256-293. 
Pegasus  and  Jasmin,  29. 
Pension  to  Jasmin,  136,  167. 
Perigueux,  Jasmin  at,  180. 


Peyrottes's  Challenge,  172. 
Philanthropist,  Jasmin    as,   81, 

115,  141,  149,  172,  179,  180, 

184,  185,  212,  217,  219,  220. 
Platt-Deutscli,  39. 
Poems  in  Gascon,  20,  46. 
Poetry  and  Jasmin,  20,  44,  45. 
Poets,  Uneducated,  45. 
Pontmartin,  M.  de,  63. 
"Poor  Man's  Doctor,"  248-251. 
Priest   Avithout  a    Church,  178, 

183,  203. 
Prize  of  French  Academy,  194, 

195. 
Pyrenees,  from  Agcn,  1,  163. 

Quixotism  of  Jasmin?  142,  215. 

Reach,  Angus   B.,  on   Jasmin, 

140. 
Reboul   and  Jasmin,  159,   188; 

and    Dumas,   159,   160;    and 

Chateaubriand,  160. 
"Recollections,  My  "(Souvenirs), 

56,57,61. 
Remusat,  Madame  de,  126. 
Revolution  of  1848,  187. 
Roaldes,  Mdlle.,  156. 
Rodez,  mission  to,  217. 
Ruined   Church    at   Vergt,  179, 

180,  182,  185,  203. 

Saint-Aman,  Boudon  de,  2. 
Sainte-Beuve  on  Jasmin,  46,  61, 

63,71,112,118,171,172,232. 
Saint-Flour,  214,218. 
Saint -Leger,    reconciliation    at, 

185. 
Saintc-Pierre,  church  of,  106. 
Saint-Vincent  de  Bory,  2. 
Saint  Vincent  de  Paul,  184,  207, 

213,  227. 
Salvandy,  M.  de,  to  Jasmin,  199. 
Sarlat,  Jasmin  at,  181. 
Scaliger,  the  Scholar,  2,  52,  163. 
Serenades  at  Agen,  168. 


Index. 


299 


Shaving  Shop,The,  19,  26,  81,  50, 

59,64,05,  147,167. 
"Shepherd     and     the     Gascon 

Poet,"  150. 
Sibour,  Monseigneur,  195. 
Sorcerer,  The,  102,  108,  290,  293. 
"Souvenirs,  Mes,"  3,  56,  61. 
Spinning  women,  9,  25,  231. 
Sugden  the  Barber,  23. 
"Siren  with  Heart  of  Ice,"  99, 

100,  269. 

Tacitus  on  renown,  193. 
Thackeray's  readings,  83. 
Theatre,  Jasmin  at,  23. 
Thierry,  A.,  Jasmin    and,   121- 

126  ;  career  of,  121. 
"Third  of  May,"  51. 
Thomas  at  Buscou,  98,  99. 
Translations  from  French  toEtig- 

lish,  3  ;   of   Jasmin's   Poems, 

237. 
Toulouse,   "  Franconnette  "   first 


recited  at,  109;  "Martha," 
169,  170;  banquets,  170;  Jas- 
min  enrolled  Maitre-^s-jeux, 
205;  last  entertainment  at, 
218,219. 
Truthfulness  of  Jasmin,  58. 

Uneducated  Poets,  44. 

Vergt,  ruined  church  at,  178; 
consecration  of  new  church, 
182;  again  in  ruins,  186; 
church  completed,  192;  the 
bells,  204. 

Villemain,  M.,  panegyric  on  Jas- 
min, 193,  199. 

Villeneuve-sur-Lot,  Jasmin's  last 
recitation  at,  219. 

"  Vineyard  "  of  Jasmin,  163, 252. 

Vintages  at  Agen,  8,  17. 


Wkstminstkii  Review 
min,  137. 


on  Jas- 


TIIE    END. 


M41956 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


